All professional sportsmen will have a mental health issue
IRANI DETERMINED TO PUT NEEDS OF PLAYERS FIRST
RONNIE IRANI was at the height of his success as an England cricketer when the players were told that wives and girlfriends weren’t allowed to visit for the entirety of their three-month tour to Zimbabwe and New Zealand in 1996-97.
‘We were told by the head coach David Lloyd, backed by captain Mike Atherton that you don’t get a choice in the army and it was going to be like that for this tour,’ said Irani, disbelief still clear in his voice.
‘Darren Gough opposed it like me. He told the management: “Do you know what the divorce rate is in cricket?” But the other players felt there was nothing they could do.
‘Coming away from that tour was the only time I thought I didn’t want to play for England. It was a real low. Bumble and Athers are great on Sky but it was unbelievable what they made the team go through. I didn’t want to be around them any more.’
Irani was ahead of his time recognising the importance of cricketers’ mental health. He used mentors and psychologists from his early 20s — ‘I just kept it under the radar because you’d have been perceived as weak’ — and roomed with Marcus Trescothick, who later revealed he suffered from depression.
He was also due to tour with Steve Harmison on one occasion when the bowler pulled out after a team bonding camp in the Lake District. ‘I felt for him. You could tell he didn’t want to go.’
In 2015, Irani was appointed chairman of cricket at Essex, the county he had served for 13 years until his retirement a decade ago, and immediately made the mental welfare of the players a priority.
Psychologist William Winstone was made a key member of the support team and a new empathetic head coach, Chris Silverwood, appointed. Between them the culture was changed so that potential stresses were identified early on and the outcome has been dramatic. Nine days ago, Essex became county champions for the first time since 1992 and the era of Graham Gooch, Nasser Hussain and Derek Pringle.
‘I believe everyone who signs up to be a professional sportsman will have some form of mental health issue,’ says Irani, who played in three Tests and 31 ODIs for his country.
‘You can’t win every day and in cricket you will have plenty of bad ones with the bat or the ball.
‘I think it’s important not to wait until people start suffering. Look after their well-being early so that when they do have a bad patch, they know where to lean.
‘The best managers in the world understand that. Jose Mourinho might be hard on the outside but inwardly he knows what an individual is feeling. You can sense that by the way he protects his players.’
As a 6ft 4in all-rounder, Irani was considered one of the dressing-room extroverts. After retirement, he spent six years at the laddish radio station TalkSport, co-presenting the breakfast show with Alan Brazil.
Yet there is more to the 45-year-old Lancastrian than meets the eye. He describes himself as a carer by nature but also a ‘success junkie’ dividing his time between the cricket club and running his own business, a market leader in footwear insoles.
He’s got a proven track record in helping cricketers and at one time had a famous row on air with Brazil after the Scot had accused Michael Yardy of being weak for leaving a tour early.
Explaining the peculiar strains of being a cricketer, Irani says: ‘We had a four-day match at Southampton last week and the guys are in each other’s pockets from the breakfast table at eight in the morning until 10 at night when they have dinner.
‘When it rained all day, they had to stay in the dressing room with each other. They can’t go anywhere else whether they are playing or not. And when you are on the field, you have to perform. It’s a real pressure.
‘Our psychologist is available 24/7. If he’s not at the match, the players can call him day or night. It’s important to talk with someone they trust. It’s totally confidential. If the psychologist thinks it’s an issue that should be addressed with the coach or captain, he’ll ask the player first, to see what they think.
‘We have group sessions, a circle of truth, if we’re having a bad patch or there is a clash of personalities that needs to be resolved. Chris [Silverwood] knows what it’s like to go through tough times. Besides being tactically and technically brilliant, he understands people. That’s been a massive reason behind us winning the title.’
England’s most prolific batsman Alastair Cook is among those who embrace the new culture and he averaged 58 for his county before the summer Test series. Irani says: ‘He is one of the boys, the same person as the teenage kid who turned up for the first time. He joins in the group sessions when around, he’s part of the team.’
Another beneficiary is Pakistan bowler Mohammad Amir, rebuilding his career after time in jail and a five-year ban from cricket for his part in a spotfixing scam. ‘We welcomed him with open arms, told him to play and express himself and we’d back him on everything he needed,’ said Irani.
Much has been made of Essex’s impressive list of young, homegrown players but they also feel a strong duty of care to the more experienced players and take a keen interest in their plans after retirement, a common trigger for depression through all sports.
‘James Foster, our former wicketkeeper is 37, During the last two winters we’ve allowed him time off to hone his skills as a cricket coach at Forest School instead of getting him to do indoor nets,’ said Irani. ‘You need to give them a bridge for their careers after. Shaun Edwards [the rugby legend] once said to me: “Be as busy as you can after you retire, otherwise you will go mad and it’s not a nice mad.”
‘Even when a player signs a new contract, I ask them if they’ve thought about life after cricket, whether it be a law degree or opening up a fruit and veg shop. Cricket is a stepping stone to what you’re going to do for the rest of your life.’
It is unusual at an elite level of sport for employers to show such concern for their employees as people. Essex though are intent on building their success with a different mindset.
‘You must always cherish what the players have given you,’ says Irani. ‘At least give them your time. That’s the payback.’