`Was going to seedy places to get sex`: Former NZ cricketer narrates his story after coming out as gay – WION

Former England wicket-keeper batter Steve Davis had become the first cricketer to publicly come out as gay. Now, New Zealand’s former pacer Heath Davis has also followed suit. The ex-Kiwi speedster, who represented the national side in 5 Tests and 11 ODIs, recently came out of the closet and revealed that he is gay.

Recently, Davis shared his side of the story and revealed how sometimes his off-field struggles impacted his performances on the 22-yard cricket strip. “The first tour to England [in 1994], I was starting to discover myself, was going to a few bars and things privately to see what life was… well, you are on the other side of the world, no one is going to know you. I left that part of my life there. There was a lot of that, just keeping your personal life separate,” Davis stated in a documentary series for The Spinoff called “Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends“.

He further asserted, “It was lonely. Going to saunas and seedy places to get sex because you didn’t want to be seen and that sort of stuff. I had systems and people in place where I could talk about these things but I didn’t feel comfortable.”

The former Black Caps’ pacer revealed that everyone in Auckland was aware of him being gay and also mentioned that his team members never had any issues knowing his sexual preferences as well.

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“All the stars aligned to move,” he said. “Everyone in Auckland knew I was gay; in the team it didn’t seem to be that big an issue. Maybe some of the young ones if you’re sharing a room with them or something, but just petty s**t. Things I thought might have been issues weren’t really. I just felt free,” he signed off.

While there are not many such revelations in the game of cricket, Davis’ recent declaration has inspired many like him to also break the shackles and proudly open up in this regard.