Former Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara said that players could “only deal with so much” after it was announced that England all-rounder Ben Stokes was taking an indefinite break from all forms of the sport to “prioritize his mental well-being.”
Stokes has withdrawn from England’s squad ahead of a five-match Test series against India starting at Trent Bridge next week.
The England and Wales Cricket Board on Friday said that the 30-year-old World Cup winner was also stepping aside to rest his left index finger.
Photo: AFP
He had rushed back from injury to lead England in a one-day international series against Pakistan earlier this month after all those originally selected were ruled out by a COVID-19 outbreak within the hosts’ camp.
England managing director Ashley Giles said that the prolonged impact of playing international cricket in biosecure bubbles during the pandemic had been “extremely challenging.”
Sangakkara told Sky Sports: “It must be a very, very tough time for Ben and his family. It won’t be a decision made easily, but [it] brings into focus the level elite players play at — your coping mechanism can only deal with so much.”
“A lot of time away from home, in bubbles, restrictions in terms of freedom of movement, then the added pressures of performing at such a high level in the public eye,” Sangakkara said.
“We’ve had a host of elite athletes who’ve spoken about mental well-being and the effects of COVID and the pressure around it, and of course pressure in the limelight, that have led to them making some very tough decisions,” he said.
As as well as playing under the shadow of COVID-19, the past year has also seen Stokes coping with the death of his father, Ged, a former New Zealand rugby league international, from brain cancer.
“I hope he’s OK — he’s a fabulous cricketer, one of the best in the world at the moment,” former England batsman Kevin Pietersen said. “He obviously lost his dad, there are a lot of things that have happened to Ben Stokes in the last couple of years.”
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