Perth Scorchers veteran Michael Klinger says his wife is doing well in her cancer battle, and he's happy with his decision to retire from first-class cricket.
Klinger's life was rocked in December when his wife Cindy was diagnosed with breast cancer that had spread to her spine.
Cindy is still in the midst of medical treatment, and the early signs have been positive.
Earlier this month, Klinger announced his retirement from first-class cricket.
But the 37-year-old will continue his T20 career, playing with the Perth Scorchers, Gloucestershire, and Bangladesh outfit Khulna Titans.
Klinger said he knew at the start of the summer that this season would probably be his last Sheffield Shield campaign with the WA Warriors.
And his decision to step aside will allow him to spend more time with his wife Cindy and his three children.
Klinger said Cindy's diagnosis had been hard to take.
"It's just something you don't expect to happen to your family," Klinger said.
"I've tried to take on a lot of the stuff that Cindy was normally able to do with the kids.
"I've been home a fair bit for the last six weeks to take on that, and will be doing the same going forward.
"She's amazing. She's actually going pretty well from the treatment.
"She had a reasonably-sized neck operation a couple of weeks ago and recovered quite well from that.
"She had a break from chemo for a few weeks, and back again on Friday for another couple of months at least.
"But she's doing pretty well. She's in good spirits."
Klinger, who played with Victoria and South Australia, says his family is now well and truly settled in Perth after spending the past four years in WA.
Outside of playing, Klinger said he was still weighing up his next move.
"I've got a Masters in Business and Sports Management. And I've done my level three coaching," Klinger said.
"I'm not sure which way I'm going to go at the moment, whether it's in coaching or the admin area. They both really interest me."
Australian Associated Press
