Beat Your Depression

Shaun Tait is an excellent fast bowler in the game of cricket. However, he is still developing and is finding it difficult to maintain a position in the elite Australian cricket team.

Obviously, the extreme pressures of the game, plus self-imposed pressures have taken their toll as the articles below suggest:-

Tait to consult depressed sportspersons to revive career

Melbourne (PTI): Australian pacer Shaun Tait will speak to sportspersons who have battled depression to revive his desire to play cricket.

The 24-year-old stunned everyone by taking temporary retirement from international cricket on Tuesday citing mental and physical exhaustion.

And in a bid to get over it, he would now consult others like him, including England batsman Marcus Trescothick.

Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) President Darren Lehmann confirmed that Tait will consult some athletes who have coped with depression to get over his mental block.

However, he refused to give particular names.

“There are a few (people) that we have got in the pipeline but I would rather not say who at the moment … we will get him in touch with some good people,” Lehmann was quoted as saying by the ‘AAP’, a news agency here.

“He’s not in a great place at the moment. He has got to get back to enjoying life again,” he added.

Lehmann has played with Tait in domestic cricket and described his current state as “sad”.

“Looking back … he’s not (been) as happy as he was in the last few months. He was always struggling a bit on the field,” he revealed.

“The simple fact for him is just getting back to basics and enjoying life. I think he just needs to get away for a while and rest the body.

Lehmann’s view was echoed by South Australia coach Mark Sorell, who felt the youngster needed emotional support.

“We will be giving him the space that he needs and support so that we can see how long it takes,” Sorell said.

Source: The Hindu News Update service.

[Do you think that Shaun Tait would be better off consulting sports people who have overcome depression rather than “depressed sportspersons”?]

Confused Shaun Tait: I don’t know what’s going on
Article from: The Advertiser

MATT WILLIAMS

January 31, 2008 12:10am

SPEED ace Shaun Tait admitted yesterday he was as confused as anyone about his shock exit from cricket at all levels.
When approached by The Advertiser at his Hyde Park home, a healthy-looking Tait, 24, said he “will talk at some stage” about his indefinite exit from the game.

Dressed in official Australian cricket tracksuit pants, a white T-shirt and black cap, the paceman, who was dropped for last week’s Adelaide Test against India after a poor performance in Perth, said: “I don’t even know what’s going on.

“I will talk at some stage . . . just not now,” he said, clutching a three-litre container of fruit juice.

Tait added that he “would appreciate being left alone”.

His father Phil, who lives on a small property at Dawesley near Nairne in the Adelaide Hills, was also reluctant to speak about his son’s future or reasons leading to his decision.

“(Shaun) asked for his privacy to be respected and so it should be,” he told The Advertiser

Phil Tait blamed sections of the media for being too pushy in the wake of his son’s announcement.

“I think the media should back off and be careful what they say about people,” he said.

On Tuesday, Tait rocked the international cricket world when he quit the game after succumbing to a mental and physical breakdown a day earlier.

“This is not an overnight decision but something I’ve been struggling with for some time,” he said in a prepared statement on Tuesday night.

“A break from professional cricket will hopefully give me a clear mind and a chance for my body to rest and recover.”

“My love and enjoyment of the game is struggling due to these issues and if I continue to go on, it will be unfair on my team mates and support staff of both the Australian and South Australian cricket teams – and most importantly, my family and close friends.”

On Sunday, against Victoria in Traralgon, Tait played his last match when he claimed 3/57 for the Redbacks, which followed his failed return to Test cricket in Perth two weeks ago.

He was not selected in the starting 11 for Australia’s fourth test clash against India in Adelaide last week.

Team-mates and close friends were shocked by the bowler’s decision to quit at such a young age, but are hopeful he will return to the game. Last year, Tait earned more than $600,000.

On Tuesday night, SA Cricket Association medical officer Terry Farquharson said: “The combination of his injury history and the demands of being an elite professional cricketer has affected his physical, and significantly, his emotional wellbeing”.

Tait turns 25 next month.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Tait will consult other sportsmen who have battled depression in a bid to rekindle his desire to play cricket again.

The Australian Cricketers’ Association will put Tait in touch with other sportsmen who have suffered depression, possibly including former England batsman Marcus Trescothick and AFL footballer Nathan Thompson.

“There is a few (people) that we have got in the pipeline but I would rather not say who at the moment . . . we will get him in touch with some good people,” ACA president Darren Lehmann said yesterday.

“To be perfectly honest, he’s not in a great place at the moment. He has got to get back to enjoying life again.”

Lehmann was confident Tait would play again, but cautioned: “However long it takes, it takes”.

That sentiment was endorsed by SA coach Mark Sorell.

“We will be giving him the space that he needs and support so that we can see how long it takes,” Sorell said yesterday.

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This is all very sad as Shaun Tait has the talent to become a star performer in the world wide arena of the game of cricket. I hope that he soon recovers from this ailment.

Perhaps Shaun should be persuaded to read the articles in the Beat Your Depression blog. There are so many that could provide some assistance and relief for him. A good starting point would be, Tending The Mind Garden.