The really sad thing is that there will be any number of pro cricketers who are suffering in the same way but believe that they cannot afford to admit to to their county let alone go public. The ones who have little time left on their current contracts and who recognise that the any admittance of this could result in the end of their careers. The county should have a duty of care but who is going to pick a batsman or bowler who is not just out of form but mentally shot to pieces as a result?
Equally, there is a reason why cricket has the highest percentage of suicides especially amongst ex players. There is just too much time for self analysis and with that can come self destruction. Leaving for a game on a Wednesday afternoon, spending four nights in a hotel and not getting home 'til the Sunday night, having failed with bat and/or ball. This isn't quite the same as having a bad 90 minutes of football but getting back home that night.
I played a couple of games with an up and coming lad back in the early 1980s by the name of Danny Kelleher. He went on to be on the Kent staff for half a dozen years, taking 6 wickets on his debut and also scoring a 50 against the Windies in a tour match. He was then released by Kent and joined Surrey but never played a game for them. At the age of 29 he took his own life by overdosing on the anti depressants that had been prescribed to help him with his issues.
Stokes isn't the first high profile player to admit to such issues and I hope that he won't be the last. The PCA do a tremendous job but Stokes going public might just help those further down the food chain to seek help too.
Was just going to write something similar..great that Ben is getting some help and wish him well. I hope he comes back even better.
Indeed,in relative terms cricket is a slow moving game..it has provided the medium for some fantastic literature over time as a result but sadly provides the opportunity for those to think too deeply maybe obsessively about themselves not just their game
David Frith wrote a book called "silence of the heart " ...a must read ...I think theres another called "by their own hand" but I could be wrong
The issue affects cricket per se not just the professional game
Something has to give, with the glut of international matches AND the T20 leagues, it's not all down to the authorities as the players themselves also need to consider their priorities, balancing playing for your country against the wealth and excitement of the IPL and Big Bash.
Cricket has always been a tough game mentally, due to the amount of travel and time spent in hotels. Players would regularly duck out of the winter tour to save their sanity/marriages, usually the subcontinent ones.
Didnt seem to bother him when playing in the IPL. Hey ho.
I’ve found the constant bashing of you recently to be quite excessive, but you’ve proved you are a twat with that comment.
Sorry if I sounded insensitive. I just remember a few months ago Stokes was "allowed" to miss the very few home Test matches we had arranged before the "Hundred" started. Of course, he played in the opening games last week I seem to recall.
I'm just pissed off that when a home Test series comes around players are missing because they are either "recovering" from their participation in overseas franchise matches (The IPL being the major one) or getting over injuries sustained in them. I was trying to point out that players mental health doesn't seem to be affected then......but now appears to be a problem when back in the UK.
Edit. Stokes may well have been injured from participating in the IPL & not excused leave. Either way, I feel if you are a centrally contracted Test player then that is where you should earn your corn.
Didnt seem to bother him when playing in the IPL. Hey ho.
I’ve found the constant bashing of you recently to be quite excessive, but you’ve proved you are a twat with that comment.
Sorry if I sounded insensitive. I just remember a few months ago Stokes was "allowed" to miss the very few home Test matches we had arranged before the "Hundred" started. Of course, he played in the opening games last week I seem to recall.
I'm just pissed off that when a home Test series comes around players are missing because they are either "recovering" from their participation in overseas franchise matches (The IPL being the major one) or getting over injuries sustained in them. I was trying to point out that players mental health doesn't seem to be affected then......but now appears to be a problem when back in the UK.
Edit. Stokes may well have been injured from participating in the IPL & not excused leave. Either way, I feel if you are a centrally contracted Test player then that is where you should earn your corn.
Not 'appears'. Is.
By your logic, players should play through injuries sustained abroad. Utterly ridiculous.
Stokes had looked knackered and frazzed out for a while .. I think his dad's death hit him very hard .. he needs and will now get a good rest .. let's hope the meedja leave him alone give him some peace
So, who drops out of the batting line up when Stokes and Morgan are available too?
Roy and Bairstow?
It's a tricky one. Nice for the selectors to have a problem
Malan and Tom Curran go. Malan because he is such a slow starter and chews up balls early - in 8 of his last 10 innings he has scored the combined total of 21 runs off 49 balls. None of the other batsmen in the frame need that sort of platform. Livingstone bowls too and offers us a 3rd spin option.
If the T20 WC was right now and everyone was fit then this would be my team (batting order to be decided upon):
Buttler Roy Livingston (b) Bairstow Morgan Stokes (b) Moeen (b) Jordan (b) Rashid (b) Archer (b) Wood (b)
Quote from Moeen Ali, captain of the winning side today, "We kept Malan in, which was good for us"
big week for Root, his captaincy is generally lacklustre and he's yet to win an ashes series. India are very beatable, I reckon that more and more the top Indian players concentrate on the one day formats
Has stigthundercock been banned , I do miss his root and co rants
He left, and at around the same time a new poster called Billy_Mix showed up, with a distinctly Thundercockian take on player marks and a familiar style of ludicrous ranting
I've got a weekend in Worcester, Leicester & Northampton this weekend watching Royal London Cup games. Gonna be very strange watching glorified club cricketers all weekend!
I've got a weekend in Worcester, Leicester & Northampton this weekend watching Royal London Cup games. Gonna be very strange watching glorified club cricketers all weekend!
A few friend's and I are trying to visit every county ground in the next couple of years. After this weekend I'll have Derby, Glamorgan, Notts & Durham left
I love the way the England team gathers together, pre-match and stands, silently, in an act of unity to declare, openly that cricket is very much a sport for everyone, unless you're a slow left-armer.
Was just about to post that it’s the first time in ages that I’ve watched the start of a test, but I did know England lose wickets early very often. Couldn’t even last an over ffs.
Comments
Indeed,in relative terms cricket is a slow moving game..it has provided the medium for some fantastic literature over time as a result but sadly provides the opportunity for those to think too deeply maybe obsessively about themselves not just their game
David Frith wrote a book called "silence of the heart " ...a must read ...I think theres another called "by their own hand" but I could be wrong
The issue affects cricket per se not just the professional game
Get well soon Ben
Cricket has always been a tough game mentally, due to the amount of travel and time spent in hotels. Players would regularly duck out of the winter tour to save their sanity/marriages, usually the subcontinent ones.
I'm just pissed off that when a home Test series comes around players are missing because they are either "recovering" from their participation in overseas franchise matches (The IPL being the major one) or getting over injuries sustained in them. I was trying to point out that players mental health doesn't seem to be affected then......but now appears to be a problem when back in the UK.
Edit. Stokes may well have been injured from participating in the IPL & not excused leave. Either way, I feel if you are a centrally contracted Test player then that is where you should earn your corn.
By your logic, players should play through injuries sustained abroad. Utterly ridiculous.
Sibley
Crawley
Root
Bairstow
Lawrence
Buttler
Curran
Robinson
Broad
Anderson
I guess Joe Root is extremely confident of his ability to spin them out in the fourth innings.
Curran is a fairly weak 4th bowler too when you only have 4 main bowlers