First Test won, now it’s ‘partner period’

THE wives and girlfriends join the Australian Ashes squad this weekend as part of a scheduled “partner period” ahead of the Lord’s Test.

Some of the Australian players have been abroad for three months, having left for Gallipoli on May 9 and then taking part in the World Cup tournament.

David Warner’s wife, Candice, travelled to England in June and gave birth to their third child, while Steve Smith’s wife, Dani, watched his heroic batting efforts from the Edgbaston stands. But other partners are only now starting to arrive and will stay at the team hotel in London.

Australian coach Justin Langer, who is also enjoying a mini-break with his family while the team completes a tour game in Worcester, said planning the presence of loved ones had been an important piece of the tour puzzle.

“It’s brilliant having the families around. Everyone does it differently, and we talk about having a big family. It’s a tricky thing trying to get the balance,” Langer said.

“Different people have different views on it. There’s a little bit of time away, that’s part of the gig.”

Many different systems had been trialled in the past. Allan Border banned wives and girlfriends during the groundbreaking 1989 Ashes tour in an attempt to build a stronger bond between players. Australia won that series 4-0.

But at least one player blamed losing series in 2005 and 2015 on the constant presence of families.

Edgbaston centurion Matthew Wade, who flew to England just days after the birth of his second child in June, said it was also hard work for those left at home.

The left-handed Tasmanian said he could not wait for his wife and two kids to arrive.

“It will be good to see them. She’s a star, I don’t know how she does it,” he said of his wife, Julia. “There’s a lot of Face Time, the challenge here is 15 minutes at the start of the day and again at the back end, that’s about all you have got, half an hour.”