The CRICKETERS battle with mental health In their own words

Depression within Cricket has hit the headlines in recent years with many household names such as Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Marcus Trescothick opening up about their own experiences and battles. One study suggested that the suicide rate among English test cricketers over the years is almost double that of the UK’s male population. The media spotlight surrounding the issue has triggered a response from the Sport, with organisations such as the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) launching initiatives such as the Mind Matters tutorials to educate players about the possible risks and coping strategies.The real question though is why is this the case? Is it something about the sport that is triggering such incidences? Or is it more likely to be a reflection of the type of personalities that tend to take up the game? There is no concrete answer.Let’s firstly look at characteristics of Cricket that could be deemed as risk factors for the onset of depression. In professional Cricket, time away from home can be a huge issue for some players, with as much as 44 weeks of the year being spent in hotel rooms. The huge amount of time spent alone on tour, as well as the time in the field, whilst waiting to bat etc. provides perfect opportunity for introspection, or analysis of one’s thoughts and feelings, which can therefore also lead to rumination, which consists of persistent negative feelings. Studies have shown strong correlations between both introspection and rumination and incidence of depression.On top of all that, there’s then the pressure of a game that is quite unique in its need for individual performance within a team game. Individual performance is tangibly measured and compared through the use of batting and bowling statistics, with averages and number of runs scored or wickets taken regularly being used as performance indicators. This is much more objective than most other sports, for example football, where a player might not score a goal, but it can still be subjectively perceived that he had a good game.