Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson has opened up on his battle with depression after retiring from professional cricket.
Johnson revealed that he has had mental health issues while playing as well, but his battle got tougher once he retired from international cricket. “I’ve found it tougher since retiring from cricket. All of a sudden, you’re not doing as much. You sort of lose your purpose a little bit. I struggle with, probably, confidence at times. I’m in that transition now where I’ve been out of playing cricket for about two years,” Johnson told Channel 7’s SAS Australia.
The former Australian pacer had retired from professional cricket in 2018. The pacer finished his international career with 313 wickets in 73 Test matches.
He was also a part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2015.
“I found out I’ve got depression … but I think the depression was something I’ve had even from a younger age. It [cricket] sort of blocked things out in a way. It sort of hid the depression, but there were a lot of times where you would go back to your room, you’re away from family and you start to dwell on things,” said Johnson.
