Mental health is a real problem. Far too many sportspersons are succumbing to that. It is not just cricketers but it seems to affect people from other sports too. The pandemic is not helping either. Infact, it has exacerbated the problem. It is time the authorities wake upto the realities of mental health and prepares a plan for alleviating it. Also, the Ashes is being threatened by forces outside of the game. Will it be postponed or will it be cancelled altogether? Let me analyse that one too.
American gymnast, Simone Biles withdrew herself from the Olympics citing mental illness or ‘Twisties”. Djokovic wasn’t kind towards her and he suggested that pressure is part of any sport and a player at the top level must learn the cope with pressure. Ravi Shastri was supportive enough
Take your time @Simone_Biles. You have earned the right to owe it to yourself at this tender age. 48 hours or 48 days it might take. Just do it Champion. You owe no explanation to no one. @naomiosaka, you too. God bless you girls #Olympics” – Ravi Shastri, India head coach, via Twitter
Ben Stokes withdraws himself
The latest in a long line of sports persons suffering from mental fatigue is Ben Stokes. He has taken an indefinite break from all forms of the game. He will not be a part of the ongoing series against India and neither will he play in the T20 World Cup. England will miss him pretty badly in the ongoing series and in the world cup but that is beside the point.
More importantly, a player of the calibre of Stokes, who has handled pressure pretty well throughout his career, has fallen to the sickness. That is the most worrisome part. Just think of Stokes and the World Cup 2019 final. Stokes and the Headingly heist and that too when the Ashes was on the line. These are high pressure situation that requires mental toughness to pull them off. Yet, the same stokes is unable to bear the pressure perhaps induced by the constant entry and exit from the bio-secure bubble.
The ECB and the England captain Joe Root is solidly behind Stokes in this instance.
Ashley Giles, saying: “Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing.
“Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this.”
“Ben will be given as long as he needs and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future.”
“From my point of view, I just want my friend to be OK,” said Root.
The players needs the support of the authorities
It is extremely important that during these testing times, the board supports the player and nurses him or her back to complete health.
The sooner authorities realises the importance of the grave threat that mental illness poses to the game, the better it is for everyone involved. Cricketers, the top level players are subjected to relentless travel, hotel accommodation, media scrutiny and various other stress related activities.
Most of these players are involved in various games throughout the year which is compounded by IPL, Big Bash League, other leagues and now The Hundred.
Will the authorities be bold enough to reduce the number of games? Will they wake up to reality? The ICC and other boards, will they be willing to forego some of their profit in exchange for the well-being of the players? These are million-dollar questions for which we will never get an answer or the answer will be in the negative.
This is not something new. Years ago, Marcus Trescothick and Jonathan Trott, fell prey to the same sickness. Though theirs was of a different nature because it did not involve bio-secure bubble. Nonetheless, it was something that must have been foreseen then but it wasn’t. It must be understood now and measures taken. The fans expect that much at the least.
England and the Ashes
The mental aspect of the game seems determined to derail 2021 Ashes. English players are unwilling to travel to Australia because of the quarantine rules. The families of the players will not be allowed to travel. Which means for about 4 months, the players will not be able to see their family and they will be expected to be inside the bubble for that long. It is completely unfair.
Current rules only allow 3000 people into Australia each month, which could make it hard for a large group of partners and children of the England players and coaches to travel.
As such most players will chose to skip the tour rather than spend 4 months on the road without having a chance to be with their families
“You cannot go to Australia, the hardest place to play, with only half your first-choice team. Broadcasters did not pay a lot of money to show a series like that. It would lack credibility,” Vaughan wrote in the Telegraph.
Root said the decision was not a simple one.
“Of course there are challenges, but everyone is desperate to be part of an Ashes series in Australia,” he said.
“It’s just at what cost.’
There. Root has nailed it. At what cost? That is the most pertinent question.
Conclusion of mental health is a real problem
Mental illness is real. The sooner authorities realise and take steps to care for the players, the better it will be for the players and for the authorities themselves. Without the top players, the broadcasters will not be willing to pay the big bucks.
As for the Ashes, the England team will hope that better sense prevail and that the families will be allowed to travel. I personally do not think that the Australian government will go ahead and not allow the families to travel. Afterall, the stakes are too high. Not just at the financial and sporting level but at a diplomatic level. Not once, not even during the infamous Bodyline series, has an Ashes series been cancelled. It is not going to happen this time either. Ashes is the oldest tournament and its tradition and culture must be preserved. Not for nothing is the 2005 series is still remembered.