Australian pacer Jhye Richardson has opened up on his mental health struggles as he hopes to return to the national team soon. He also shared that plenty of his struggles started during the COVID-19 pandemic and he regretted making the trip to IPL 2021 in that headspace as well. However, Richardson bagged his first IPL contract before the 2021 edition, earning a whopping ₹14 crore from the Punjab Kings. However, he couldn’t justify the price tag, bagging three scalps in as many games. He returned to the IPL for the Delhi Capitals ahead
of the 2024 season and played only one match as well.
Speaking to cricket.com.au, Richardson said: “A lot of it started during COVID. My trip to the IPL – I left home not in the headspace that I probably should have been. Then things sort of hit the fan while I was away, and everything with COVID and not being able to get home and stuff like that, it just toppled on top of each other. I think you don’t realize what sort of space you’re in until it becomes too much, which is why now I encourage a lot of young cricketers to work on their mental health – even if they think that they’re going okay.”
“Everything just got to a point where there was some professional intervention that needed to happen,” he said. “I’m not willing to go into a whole lot of detail, but I just landed in a spot where things were bad enough that I stepped back and said, ‘I can’t continue thinking the way that I am’ and (needed) to get a bit more education and knowledge about how the brain works,” he added.
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However, the right-arm seamer made his debut in February 2017 but he has played only 3 Tests, 18 ODIs, and 15 T20Is so far. Richardson, who last played a Test in 2021, said the only thing keeping him motivated is his desire to return to the national team.
“Obviously, it’s been frustrating. I think what held me together is knowing that when I can get back to competitive cricket, I do still enjoy it. I know what it’s like to play Test cricket and I desperately want to get back there.”I know if I get a decent crack at it, hopefully, I can showcase some skills that allow me to get to the next level. I want to play Test cricket again. I want to play for Australia again. Ultimately, it’s just not letting go of that goal and keeping that within reach and doing everything I can to get my body right to get back there,” Jhye Richardson added.
Richardson also said that the Western Australia Cricket Association has been quite supportive.
“A lot of the judgment (regarding mental health) has gone nowadays. Within our (WA) group we trust everyone with the way that they want to go about things. People are individuals – they train different ways, they think differently,” he said. “The resources within cricket nowadays make the process of dealing with mental health issues a lot easier and there is a lot more education there. But as someone who has dealt with anxiety, not just on the field but away from cricket and day-to-day living, it can be quite exhausting,” he added.
Richardson’s career has been impacted by injuries and he’s been working on his fitness with eyes firmly fixated on Test comeback.
“I know what it’s like to play Test cricket and I desperately want to get back there. I’ve only had tastes of it in the last couple of years, but knowing that when I do get back there, I do have fun playing cricket, which is why we all begin to play in the first place. I know if I get a decent crack at it, hopefully I can showcase some skills that allow me to get to the next level. I want to play Test cricket again. I want to play for Australia again,” he concluded.
