Valentine Day Special:करियर दांव पर लगाकर पत्नी के सपनों को दी उड़ान, अब प्यार की ताकत से फिर मैदान पर वापसी – Valentine Day Special: Graeme Cremer Wife Merna Love Story Returning Back In World Cup
Abdul
There is often talk of promises of love and gifts on Valentine’s Day, but there are some stories which prove that true love is seen not just in words but in decisions. This is the story of former Zimbabwe captain Graeme Creamer who put his career on hold to give wings to his wife’s dreams. This is the story of a player who captained his country, took more than 200 international wickets, but when the time came to choose between his wife’s dreams and his career, he chose to side with her without hesitation.
When the captain did not ‘retire’ but ‘stopped’ himself
Creamer was commanding the team during an important period of Zimbabwe cricket. But meanwhile, his wife Merna got a job offer as a Boeing 777 pilot in Dubai’s big airline Emirates. This was the same company where Merna had applied about 10 years ago. This was not just a job for him, it was a childhood dream. At the age of six, she used to stand at Harare Airport and watch the planes. Now the same girl was going to board an international flight. Creamer says that initially he thought that he would keep playing for the country by traveling to and from Dubai. But soon the reality emerged.
He said, ‘I had thought that I would travel to and from Dubai, but when two small children aged six and three years. When I saw them, I realized that this was not possible. I had to take a decision only after reaching Dubai. I used to miss cricket, but family was more important at that time. This was not a compulsion, it was a decision of love.
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Graeme Creamer and his children – Photo: graemecremer30 (instagram)
When the husband became a ‘full-time father’
Merna was flying in Dubai and Creamer was taking care of the house. He took the responsibility of children’s education, daily routine, family everything on his shoulders. Merna had said on that decision, ‘People were surprised that he left cricket at the peak of his career, but I was not surprised at all. He is first a wonderful husband and father, then a cricketer.
During his break from cricket, Creamer started coaching at the Rajasthan Royals Academy. While giving training to children and adults there, he got a chance to understand the game from a new perspective. He said, ‘Coaching taught me how difficult it is to handle players of different temperaments. This helped me understand my game at a fundamental level.
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Graeme Creamer and his children – Photo: graemecremer30 (instagram)
Friend’s call and heart flutter
time elapsed. The children grew up. And then one day I got a call from old friend Brandon Taylor. Taylor himself was preparing to return and told Creamer that if there was still fire in the heart, it was time to return. “Brandon said he had a year or two left to play,” Creamer says. We are almost the same age. His words made me think. He met Givemore Makoni, the managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket. He was clearly told that he would not get a place in the national team directly and would have to prove himself in domestic cricket first.
In the National Premier League, Creamer showed that the passion is still alive by taking 40 wickets in 12 matches. “This tournament gave me confidence that I can still play,” says Creamer. There’s still a long way to go, but that fire is still there inside. After his return, he admitted that the intensity of international cricket is different. “I have changed, but the intensity of the game is the same,” he said. The skill is there, the hunger is there, we just have to get used to that level again.
