It is always hard to make a comeback in International cricket and it becomes even tougher when you are suffering from any illness. Yes, England’s wicket-keeper and stylish batter Sarah Taylor, who suffered from mental issues since 2015, has come a long way to overcome the depression and anxiety problems, which further made things miserable for her during prime playing days, particularly in the limited overs format.
Sarah, who also played eight Test matches for her side, took an indistinct break from international cricket in May 2016 for a year.
Before breaking down again while recalling the moments of ICC Women’s World triumph, donning the national jersey, and throwing the light on fear of socializing and much more, Sarah said, “You’re very negative. Everything is the worst-case scenario. My panic attacks would come because I couldn’t breathe properly. I’d spend the entire day focusing on breathing.”
As the time went on, Sarah learned how to overcome the panic attacks which left her in a state of despair and almost ended her cricketing career.
While speaking to the Guardian, the 28-year-old opened up about her struggling life and admitted to the fact that there is still a lot to be covered in her life as a cricketer.”Yeah, I am. I’m proud I’m spreading a message that it’s OK to admit these feelings. I’m proud I’ve bought my own place but I’m also proud of the small things,” Sarah said.
Sarah also revealed that she cried after her side lifted the trophy of ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 Lord’s Cricket Ground. “We were on the field waiting for the presentation and it hit me. A year ago I wasn’t even playing cricket. Six months ago I wasn’t even playing. Everyone was crying. Typical girls – we were all crying,” Sarah remarked.
Sarah while narrating her story revealed how the little Puggle (dog breed) known as ‘Millie’ has played a major role in her life when she was confined to her room. She too praised the efforts of a psychologist, who gave her multiple responsibilities to work on before allowing her to make a new friend out of Millie.
“I bought myself a dog, an adorable little Puggle called Millie. She genuinely saved my life. At first she was not allowed out, and so I spent a few weeks with her, cuddling, bonding. And then, after her injections, she was allowed out for a walk,” Sarah further added.
Remarkable with the bat and glove work, Sarah is quite a famous name in Women’s cricket but after facing a lot of hardships during her career, she was afraid.
“What am I doing with my life? I’m just stuck in bed, can’t breathe.’ That would make you worse. You spend the entire day having some form of panic attack. It’s awful because you don’t know why,” Sarah maintained.
While revealing about her past, Sarah told that she was struggling to inhale.”I was shaking, couldn’t breathe, on my own. This had happened before but I didn’t know what it was. All of a sudden it was more normal than a normal day,” Sarah believes.
Sarah was also mocked by fans during the World T20 2016 when she struggled to score runs and therefore, she kept herself limited to a hotel room while developing the fear of meeting the people. “I spent all my time in my hotel room. I didn’t talk to anyone. Everyone used to joke I was ‘Room Service Sarah’,” Sarah asserted.
But finally, Sarah fought against all the odds and made a remarkable comeback on the cricket field and is now the most searched women cricketer on the internet from past few months.
