Leicestershire county cricket club

The Analyst Inside Cricket: Former England wicketkeeper-batter Paul Nixon believes the total immersion of cricketers towards achieving their goals in the sport is the fundamental problem behind them facing mental health issues. Chats around the mental health of cricketers have been reignited after former England batter and coach Graham Thrope took his own life earlier this month, and it was revealed by his family that he was suffering from depression and anxiety for the past few years.

“I think you work so hard to try and achieve your goals and your dreams and your aspirations. And when you get the chance and you're doing it and you're living it, you are quite literally living the dream. But you're not living it as in two hours here and two hours there.”

“You're a bit like a farmer, you know, I'm a farmer's son and I love watching Clarkson's Farm because that was your life and it's actually life. It's not just a nine-to-five, it's a life. It's all day, all week. It's all-consuming.”