England Test skipper Ben Stokes has been a prominent figure in English cricket. The top-notch all-rounder has been in the headlines for various reasons lately. Ben Stokes' decision to quit the 50-over format citing the “unsustainable rigor" of playing all three formats of the game has already triggered a debate over the relevance of one-day international cricket amidst the growing proliferation of T20 leagues around the world.
In a fresh development, the Englishman has opened about up about his mental health and panic attacks following the loss of his father to brain cancer almost two years ago. In his recent shocking series of revelations, Stokes claimed that he felt deep dissent towards cricket when he took the break because he had been unable to visit his dying father as much as he wanted, instead had to participate in IPL.
"The last time I saw him when I was leaving New Zealand to go to the Indian Premier League. My father wanted me to go he really loved me playing for Rajasthan Royals and the people there. But the unfortunate turn of events made me hate cricket," he said.
In his latest interaction with The Telegraph, Stokes further asserted that he felt disserted and hatred towards the game of cricket which he felt kept him away from spending time with his father before he breathed his last. "I should have opened up about it sooner – I just thought ‘cricket, cricket, cricket’. It’s not a regret … but I’d do things differently,” Stokes added.
He further revealed that he was really angry at the sport and felt disgusted with himself for not prioritizing his family over a game. The Englishmen also stressed the importance of mental strength by admitting that he never thought of going through medication to help him for the kind of stuff but he is not ashamed or embarrassed to admit that he needed help at that time.
"It’s all in the past. I am back playing the game I love the most. I am not embarrassed or ashamed to say it because I needed the help at the time,” Stokes said in an Amazon documentary, which will be released on Friday. He stressed the importance of opening up about mental health, adding it was not human nature to pretend to be fine. "I have observed people being nervous about opening up on mental stress and anxiety but it’s too natural and almost everyone suffers with it at some stage of their life. It’s perceived as a weakness as you can’t feel like others are feeling, but it’s not that. You must share it with your friend and family," he concluded.