Retirement brings mental anguish to quarter of cricket players Returned home: England batsman Jonathan Trott. A survey of former players in Australia has found that a quarter experienced depression or feelings of helplessness after leaving professional cricket. The subject of mental health among cricketers was thrust back into focus when England's Jonathan Trott returned home from the Ashes tour last month citing ""stress-related illness"." And the results of the survey, conducted by the Australian Cricketers" Association, further emphasise the challenges confronting the game. The ACA contacted every player who had retired or been forced out of professional cricket, be it at international or state level, since 2005 for the poll in an effort to see how they had found the transition out of the game. 39 per cent of participants indicated they had experienced high levels of stress and anxiety for two weeks or more; 25 per cent had experienced depression or feelings of helplessness for periods of two weeks or more; 43 per cent felt they had lost a sense of their identity after finishing their cricket career. There were also sections of the survey, the results of which were published in the ACA's December newsletter, on players" career and financial status and education. And while the likes of Trott and former England opener Marcus Trescothick have revealed high-profile cases of mental illness during their careers, leaving the game is also a serious psychological hurdle for many. ""That's when the reality hits so we've got to transition them from one career to the next career,"" ACA chief executive Paul Marsh said. ""That time is a very difficult time in a player's life. ""A huge part of what we do is trying to get them ready whilst they're playing cricket. You try and soften that blow by preparing them. It's obviously a pretty brutal career path, professional sport, and you can be on a contract for as little as one year."" The results of the survey are preliminary, and only players who came out of the Australian system after 2005 were involved because that was when the ACA began a well-resourced program to assist current and recently retired cricketers. A $1 million-a-year scheme, launched jointly by the ACA and Cricket Australia, will extend that helping hand to past players of all ages, with a focus on their health and wellbeing, career, education and finances. Even before Trott's shock departure from Australia there had been no shortage of introspection in cricket about links between the game and depression. Trescothick, who left England's tour of India in 2005-06 and the 2006-07 Ashes with a similar condition, has been a prominent voice on the issue while former World Twenty20 winner Michael Yardy quit the World Cup in 2011 suffering from depression. Others including former New Zealand seamer Iain O'Brien, ex-England quick Steve Harmison, former England opener Graeme Fowler and ex-South Australian and Test wicketkeeper-batsman Wayne Phillips have also admitted the problems that plagued their playing days, the aftermath to their careers or both. Marsh said players linking their identity to sporting achievement and a lack of balance in their lives were areas the ACA was working closely on alleviating. ""I don't think there is any definitive research on this but I think cricket is a game that lends itself to the types of mental health issues that we've seen,"" Marsh said. ""One reason is the international guys spend so much time away from home and that can be difficult. And there are not many sports that I can think of that your own personal performances are so identifiable and therefore under scrutiny. In your football codes you're part of a team, you can have a good or a bad game but you can hide behind playing your role for your coach. In cricket, it's there for everyone to see."" A $400,000 chunk of the ACA/CA scheme, called the Past Player Game and Personal Development Program, will be used to engage and train former cricketers to get them into areas including coaching and junior development. Lifeline 13 11 14