Trescothick leading from the front

Interesting interview with Marcus Trescothick on Sky this morning. Michael Atherton has read Tresco's book and described it as "brutally honest" and quite intense in its description of the struggles Tresco faced while on tour in 2006/07 and beyond.

Tresco himself said that if someone suffering from something similar took some encouragement from the book then he would be chuffed but that it wasn't intended as a self-help book. The fact that professional cricketers can come out and talk publicly about mental illnesses is a positive move for cricket and for people in general. From a personal note as a medical student, honesty like this can only be helpful in encouraging people to come forward and be diagnosed. To know that they are ill and can be helped rather than feeling that they have to hide away and feel stigmatised.

As the world becomes more demanding and players are put under increased pressure to perform and be role models as well as having personal lives I think that cases such as Trescothick's are going to become more common. To become a professional cricketer many of these players have concentrated on cricket to the exclusion or detriment of other aspects of their lives. Cases such as Trescothick and Lou Vincent show the importance of players having some time off to develop other interests.

As an opening batsman Trescothick lead from the front, set the tone and showed others how to play. By opening up about his depression he is leading the way in raising general awareness about the effects of mental illnesses, which is even more admirable.