Cricket Australia to appoint mental health expert after players forced into sabbaticals

Cricket Australia (CA) is set to hire a mental health supervisor for its team keeping in the mind the pressure faced by the players at the international level. This comes after Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell along with two other players took a break from the game citing mental health issues. Cricket Australia's high-performance program chief Drew Ginn while talking to ESPNCricInfo said that the Mental Health and Wellbeing lead will focus on the mental health of CA contracted players and will also give them a broader case management support. 

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Cricket Australia reportedly advertised about the post where it said that the candidates applying for it should have a post-graduate qualification in psychology/psychiatry, behavioural science, or a related field and clinical practice experience, in addition to senior management and case management expertise. The decision to appoint a mental health supervisor for players has got full support from Ginn, who is a former Olympic rower. Ginn said that mental health should be a top priority and the decision to appoint a Mental Health and Wellbeing lead will provide additional support to the current psychologists in the team. 

Read: Glenn Maxwell Opens Up About His Mental Health, Says His Partner Was The First To Notice

Maxwell's break

Australian cricketers Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson, and Will Pucovski all took an indefinite break from the sport last year citing mental health issues. The cricket fraternity hailed Maxwell’s decision as the right-hander found support from Indian captain Virat Kohli among many other players. Later, Glenn Maxwell revealed that his partner was the first to notice his problem and suggested him to speak to someone about it. Maxwell announced his break after the conclusion of the second T20I against Sri Lanka in October last year. 

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