Chris Tremain's phone lights up with pictures and videos of his baby boy every day, "but it still doesn't quite compare to a nice hug in the morning".
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Which is why while Tremain's sights are set on the Thunder's clash with the Melbourne Renegades on the Gold Coast on Friday night, his mind is still in Sydney.
The Sydney Thunder quick's wife Shannon and one-year-old son Noah are locked down in Sydney, unable to join him in the BBL hub due to border restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the downside to life in a cricket bubble - a necessary evil to ensure the Twenty20 showpiece can continue in front of limited crowds with teams often playing far from their own home grounds.
The 29-year-old quick got a few weeks' worth of family time before entering the BBL hub on December 4, but prior to that he had spent three weeks in an Adelaide bubble.
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"I'd almost rather, after a long time on the road and not seeing my son for a long time, I wouldn't mind being locked in with them for at least a little bit of time," Tremain said.
"My wife is flat out, she's looking after him, working and studying the last bit of a law degree. She's flat out, and that's probably what affects you the most in the hub.
"It's a little bit difficult on her, and that's probably the hardest part of the hub, you're not there to help the family when they need it.
"I've been a cricketer for eight or nine years now, and Shan, if she wanted out she would have got out six years ago but she's cracked on. She's going well which makes my job a lot easier. I don't have to burn a whole lot of anxious energy on the road because I know she's got it covered.
"Noah now understands what FaceTime is and who I am, he gets excited and some days he doesn't care because he's watching Peppa Pig or Bluey and doesn't want a bar of me.
"It is nice to see his face and Shan sends through photos and videos all the time which is helpful, but it still doesn't quite compare to a nice hug in the morning.
"That's okay, because it'll end and it'll end soon. We've just got to grit our teeth and get through it."
To date the Thunder have done that in impressive fashion, bouncing back from a season-opening loss to ride a four-game winning streak which has them sitting second on the ladder.
The Thunder have nine matches remaining - "a daunting prospect" when Tremain considers how long he has spent away from family - but a busy travel schedule may help the days pass.
The Renegades clash marks Sydney's first of two games in Queensland, before flying to Perth for another two. They are scheduled to round out the campaign with five games in Sydney but the coronavirus pandemic could alter those plans.
A clash against his former team would be Tremain's second for the season. Tuesday night's win over the Melbourne Stars in Canberra marked his first match in 10 months, and Tremain says "I hadn't been that nervous since I debuted".
Yet after copping an early barrage he bounced back to claim the wicket of Glenn Maxwell and close out the game to rid himself of any lingering doubts about his ability to execute at the elite level.
"Coming back, it was a really good way to remind you you're a good cricketer, you're there for a reason, and that's what you do, you've done it for a long time," Tremain said. "That was encouraging for me moving forward, I convinced myself again that I belong there."
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports journalist for The Canberra Times.
