Mental health issues are often considered taboo in most parts of the world. People who suffer from various psychological ailments often dislike spilling it out in public for fear of being judged.
However, several cricketers across the globe have come out by speaking openly about their struggle with mental breakdown. There have been many instances when sportspersons have shown the world as perfect examples on how to deal with the inner demons.
Ben Stokes
Dependable England all-rounder Ben Stokes has recently taken an indefinite break from all forms of cricket due to mental health issues. It took tremendous courage from the burly all-rounder to open up about his feelings and well-being. Huge pressure to perform consistently at the international level, spending significant amounts of time away from family and coping up with the challenges due to Covid-19 is said to have taken a serious toll on Stoke’s mental health.
Also Read
Glenn Maxwell
Australia’s utility cricketer Glenn Maxwell also suffered from mental health issues. He had to take a small hiatus from the game in 2019. The hard-hitting all-rounder opted out of two T20Is against Sri Lanka. However, he returned to the game after a couple of month and performed well in the Big Bash League (BBL).
Marcus Trescothick
Whirl-wind English cricketer Marcus Trescothick suffered mental health issues when he was at the peak of his career. In 2006, he decided to go back home in between the tour of India and later revealed that he was dealing with depression. The attacking opener even returned just two weeks into the tour of Australia in 2006-07. Later he also confessed that he even had to bid adieu to cricket due to mental problems.
Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott is another solid English batsman who had to battle psychological problems at the summit of his career. Technically flawless Trott had almost cemented his spot in the England team when he was hit with the mental turmoil. Though he was part of the Ashes squad in 2013, he had to end his career abruptly. He tried to play county cricket after his retirement, but he had to quit all fprm of cricket soon due to anxiety disorder.
Will Pucovski
Promising Australian batsman Will Pucovski is also a victim of mental health issue. He revealed that he was taking a break from cricket towards the end of 2018 due to anxiety issues. He made a comeback to the team in 2019 against Sri Lanka, but couldn’t make it to the playing eleven. Later in the year, he withdrew from Test contention for the series against Pakistan citing mental health issues again.
Sarah Taylor
Sarah Taylor was the main stay of England women’s cricket team for several years. She was instrumental for the team’s victory in T20 World Cup in 2009 and 50 over World Cup win in 2017. Unfortunately, the great cricketer had to hang her boots prematurely due to mental health issues.
(Edited by Suryakant Jena)