There is hard slog and then there is real work.
Otago cricketer Neil Broom whacked a memorable century against the Perth Scorchers in Jaipur on September 25.
He smashed an undefeated 117 from 56 deliveries and celebrated by cradling his bat and rocking it back and forth, in a nod to his wife, Melissa, and his expanding family back home in Dunedin.
Melissa gave birth to the couple's second son, Luie, just two days after Neil's remarkable innings in the Champions League.
Mrs Broom saw the celebration and had the feeling Luie might come a little early. He was due on October 2 but arrived on September 27, the same day the Otago Daily Times carried news of his father's impressive knock.
''Connor [the Brooms' first son) was a few days early and you just sort of know,'' she said.
When Otago qualified for the group stage of the tournament, the couple realised Neil would probably be in India when Luie was born.
As it turned out, he was relaxing in a hotel in Jaipur while his wife was in labour and missed the first week of his son's life.
Mrs Broom restricted visitors to immediate family so that when Mr Broom finally got to meet his son, he was not the last in a long line of people to welcome Luie into the world.
''Neil's parents popped down from Christchurch but I didn't want any visitors, basically,'' she said, laughing.
''We didn't go anywhere and just stayed at home, just so there was not a whole lot of people meeting him.''
