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Depression blighted my cricket career – Paul Persaud |
15 Mar 2016 10:51 #296519
by chairman
GUYANA CHRONICLE ARTICLE
Regarded as one of the most talented Guyanese batsman during the mid-1980s and 1990’s, Paul Persaud played 17 First-Class matches for Guyana between 1991 and 1995.The gifted left-hander made only one century and three fifties, but debilitating mental illness during that period has blighted his cricket career.
With remarkable and heart-rending candour, Persaud tells for the first time what really happened: how his cricket career came to a sudden end.
Speaking with Chronicle Sport after he returned to Guyana from the USA for the first time in 15 years, the 44-year-old admitted that he suffered from depression during his playing days, and as such his promising cricket career was affected tremendously.
The mental illness first reared its ugly head in 1991 when his mother died. However, during 1991 and 1995, Persaud tried to cope with the death of his mother, but never recovered from the tragedy fully.
He eventually suffered a nervous breakdown late in 1995, and was sidelined for 14 months. He was scared, anxious, didn’t think he belonged, and the only way he could cope was by shutting himself off from the world. It was almost as if the world was against him.
“My mother was the closest person to me, and after she died it really affected me, both as a person and as a cricketer,†Persaud said.
But with the help of family members and friends, Persaud recovered somewhat, and by late 1996 he resumed his cricket career, with the aim of making the national team once more, but that was not the case.
After a successful first division season in 1997, when he scored his first double hundred, Persaud was among 22 players selected for Guyana trials in 1998.
However, after he was not selected in the national setup, Persaud then went to Trinidad and Tobago where he joined the Clarke Road Cricket Club.
“I was qualified to play for Trinidad and Tobago , since I lived there for more than three months, but after I was not selected for the Trinidad team despite making 27 and 64 in the trials, I felt disappointed again, and I began to feel down. I felt like my cricket career was coming to an end, and that really hurt me,†Persaud pointed out.
A reversion in his depression stepped in once more and Persaud quit the game and flew to the United States of America in 2000.
After recovering fully for the second time from his depression, Persaud worked in the Delivery Service(in that country).
Apart from playing 17 First-class games, Persaud represented the Guyana youth team, and is the only Guyanese batsman with over a 1000 runs at that level.
Persaud also represented the West Indies in three ‘Youth Tests’ in 1990 against Australia.
Always tell someone how you feel because opportunities are lost in the blink of an eye but regret can last a lifetime.
cricketwindies.com/forum/
GUYANA CHRONICLE ARTICLE
Regarded as one of the most talented Guyanese batsman during the mid-1980s and 1990’s, Paul Persaud played 17 First-Class matches for Guyana between 1991 and 1995.The gifted left-hander made only one century and three fifties, but debilitating mental illness during that period has blighted his cricket career.
With remarkable and heart-rending candour, Persaud tells for the first time what really happened: how his cricket career came to a sudden end.
Speaking with Chronicle Sport after he returned to Guyana from the USA for the first time in 15 years, the 44-year-old admitted that he suffered from depression during his playing days, and as such his promising cricket career was affected tremendously.
The mental illness first reared its ugly head in 1991 when his mother died. However, during 1991 and 1995, Persaud tried to cope with the death of his mother, but never recovered from the tragedy fully.
He eventually suffered a nervous breakdown late in 1995, and was sidelined for 14 months. He was scared, anxious, didn’t think he belonged, and the only way he could cope was by shutting himself off from the world. It was almost as if the world was against him.
“My mother was the closest person to me, and after she died it really affected me, both as a person and as a cricketer,†Persaud said.
But with the help of family members and friends, Persaud recovered somewhat, and by late 1996 he resumed his cricket career, with the aim of making the national team once more, but that was not the case.
After a successful first division season in 1997, when he scored his first double hundred, Persaud was among 22 players selected for Guyana trials in 1998.
However, after he was not selected in the national setup, Persaud then went to Trinidad and Tobago where he joined the Clarke Road Cricket Club.
“I was qualified to play for Trinidad and Tobago , since I lived there for more than three months, but after I was not selected for the Trinidad team despite making 27 and 64 in the trials, I felt disappointed again, and I began to feel down. I felt like my cricket career was coming to an end, and that really hurt me,†Persaud pointed out.
A reversion in his depression stepped in once more and Persaud quit the game and flew to the United States of America in 2000.
After recovering fully for the second time from his depression, Persaud worked in the Delivery Service(in that country).
Apart from playing 17 First-class games, Persaud represented the Guyana youth team, and is the only Guyanese batsman with over a 1000 runs at that level.
Persaud also represented the West Indies in three ‘Youth Tests’ in 1990 against Australia.
Always tell someone how you feel because opportunities are lost in the blink of an eye but regret can last a lifetime.
cricketwindies.com/forum/
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