'It's a tough battle' - Dent's struggle with anxiety
Chris Dent made his Gloucestershire debut in 2009
- Published
Gloucestershire batsman Chris Dent is fighting an ongoing battle with anxiety that has kept him out of action for most of the season.
The 33-year-old, who has scored more than 15,000 runs for his county, appeared in two matches in April but has since not felt able to play.
He did return for a second XI match last month but his struggle continues.
"It鈥檚 a tough battle at the minute," he told 大象传媒 Radio Gloucestershire.
"I鈥檝e been struggling for a couple of years since Covid.
"I haven鈥檛 really spoken much about it, but I鈥檝e been seeking help and trying to improve it but it鈥檚 not the easiest thing to battle.
"There鈥檚 obviously been a lot of speculation as to why I鈥檓 not playing and this is the reason that I鈥檝e been struggling with."
Chris Dent won the Royal London Cup with Gloucestershire in 2015
Dent is modern great for Gloucestershire having made 11,134 first-class runs, a tally even more impressive given he has opened the batting for the vast majority of his career that began in 2009.
"When I鈥檓 away from the ground for a few weeks, everything seems to feel OK," he said. "But when I come back all the same feelings arise and it feels like a vicious circle.
"Initially, I was quite embarrassed about it because I鈥檓 one of the older players in the team and I felt this shouldn鈥檛 be happening to me.
"My anxiety has got worse and worse as the years have gone on and now it鈥檚 at the point where it鈥檚 at it鈥檚 worst."
'Hopefully, I can find my way through it'
With two years remaining on his current contract, Dent feels he still has more to come as a professional and his reappearance for the second XI included a second-innings 153.
"I鈥檝e been speaking to people and trying to seek help to improve," he said.
"I鈥檝e been getting involved with coaching and trying to add value in other ways while I鈥檓 battling this.
"As a batsman it鈥檚 really hard because you can put all the right preparation in, turn up, and it can just not be your day."
Starting a coffee business with the help of his family has also kept him busy and he is hopeful a comeback towards the end of the season might be possible.
"Last year I had a couple of breaks from cricket because I couldn鈥檛 mentally get out on the field," he said.
"It鈥檚 strange it鈥檚 happened later in my career but I鈥檝e spoken to people and you can have mental health issues at any stage of your life. Hopefully, I can find my way through it.
"Cricket has been my whole life pretty much. I love the game but it鈥檚 just being able to cope with those feelings."