MIND MATTERS IN CRICKET

Is there a mental health crisis in the world? Many believe so. The Guardian newspaper reported that after the Brexit result, therapists and psychiatrists described “shockingly elevated levels of anxiety and despair, with few patients wishing to talk about anything else.” People do not like change, yet we live in an ever faster changing world.

 

Global prescriptions for antidepressants and sedatives are rising at an alarming rate and one in four adults will experience mental health issues during their lives. Until recently, mind matters have been shrouded by taboo which only now are being dismantled by courageous people in the public eye willing to openly talk about their problems. And who are at the forefront of this revolution? Professional cricketers.

 

It was the former England batsman, Marcus Trescothick, who began the process. His book Coming Back to Me published in 2008, was the first to shine light on the hidden plight of some cricketers. It won the William Hill Sports Book of The Year Award and has sold more than 90,000 copies via print and digital.

 

Trescothick wrote of his “black wings of overwhelming depression”; how these wings had forced him to quit two overseas tours with England to India and Australia in 2006; and how his international career dramatically ended in March 2008, hunched up, sobbing and distraught, slumped in a corner of the Dixons store at Heathrow Airport, unable to board the 9pm flight to Dubai with his Somerset team-mates.

 

Jason Ratcliffe, Head of the PCA Members Services, who has established an inspired and powerful mental health programme for cricketers says: “Trescothick opened the doors for others to come forward. He was the trailblazer.

 

“Marcus was very nervous about what people might think but was then delighted by the overwhelming support he received. Mental health is a widespread social issue, so when cricketers see other cricketers coming out who then have been supported, it encourages them to find a voice.”

 

Since 2008 this growing list include Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Mike Yardy, Graeme Fowler, Jonathan Trott, Tim Ambrose, Iain O’Brien, John Mooney and more recently Monty Panesar and England women’s international Sarah Taylor.

 

The problems and the approach taken to resolve their issues can be varied.

 

Sarah Taylor explains: “My anxiety at its worst is a panic attack. It comes on as I am about to bat. My heart races, I feel faint. There were times when I had to run off the pitch into the dressing room to be sick.”

 

Monty Panesar says: “I became paranoid. I felt the world was against me and my team-mates were not on my side. I was aggressive towards umpires, the opposition, my club players, family and friends.”

 

For former England batsman Graeme Fowler, one of the more outspoken after the publication of his book Absolutely Foxed, it is depression. “My brain shut down. I stared into space. I couldn’t talk to people. I was catatonic, not even capable of making a cup of tea.

 

While Fowler alongside others like Panesar and Yardy received medication to help them improve, Taylor who has taken time off from cricket, so she can “fix herself”, has chosen Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT); a talking regime where learning to change thought patterns and identifying trigger points is key. Taylor explains: “I have a mental injury and it’s a case of healing this injury just as you would with a physical one.” She continues: “It’s OK to go through something like this. I view it as a learning journey; but it is vital to gain support, as it’s not OK to suffer in silence.”

 

It was author David Frith and his two books on cricketers and depression which suggested players are almost twice as likely to commit suicide as the average male. 

 

“Evidence now suggests this is misleading,” says Ratcliffe. “Cricket merely reflects the national average.” And Fowler affirms, “Cricket does not attract depressive people. It may be a sport based on failure when out of form, but it is no different to other professions.”

 

Suicide is particularly poignant given the prominent cricketing casualties. They include Mark Saxelby, David Bairstow, Peter Roebuck and Harold Gimblett. A recent tragedy is the death of 28-year-old Tom Allin, a former Warwickshire bowler, who jumped off a Devon bridge in January.

 

“Tom was in our PCA network working closely alongside one of our personal developers but he showed no signs of depression to us,” says Ratcliffe.

 

The programmes set up by Ratcliffe on their website and then taken around the country via roadshows are impressive covering anxiety and alcohol abuse to depression and drug use.

 

It is the battling courage shown by some cricketers, given the degree of their mental distress, at times, that is so inspiring. How can they even pick up a bat and ball let alone perform on a high profile stage? 

 

Michael Yardy is a good example. His book The Hard Yards is a brutal and bold account of the mental health problems he faced during a highly successful career. His candour is astonishing.

 

From flying home early during the Sri Lankan World Cup in 2011 due to a mental meltdown to paranoid episodes in Australia, Yardy says: “Depression was stalking me. Being diagnosed had drained me of all my confidence as a player and I never got it back.” 

 

Yet, somehow, he scored over 10,000 first-class runs; is one of only 11 Englishmen to hold a T20 World Cup Medal; and won an array of trophies for Sussex CCC.

 

Sadly, he never enjoyed his profession. Yardy has just one memento at home, a picture of the winning 2010 T20 World Cup team, as the repugnance he felt for his mental injuries he blames on cricket. ”I had a great career but I’m pleased it’s over. I really won’t miss playing the sport at all.” 

 

His one period of joy was the 2009 season when as captain, Sussex won two trophies. “I felt more fulfilled than at any other time of my 16-year career. I was infused with self-belief and confidence.” Since retiring, Yardy is happier and has not seen a therapist for over a year. He’s training to be a sports psychologist.

 

Ratcliffe concludes: “The PCA are determined to help end the taboo surrounding mental health. The more cricketers speak openly about it the more this stigma diminishes. The global problem is so massive now we have little choice.”