Shaun Tait decided to quit cricket indefinitely at the age of 24, sounds hard to believe when he should be thinking of giving sleepless nights to batsman around the world .To give credit to Tait he indeed was honest to admit that the motivation has dipped and needed time to rejuvenate. In recent years, Tait has undergone shoulder and elbow surgery as well as suffered a range of hamstring and lower back injuries which have been painful and difficult to overcome.
Constant glare from the media, pressure to perform, recurring injuries and lesser time to unwind have a telling effect on international cricketers and unfortunately more applicable in Tait’s case. Strangely enough, India which is seen as cauldron of expectation because of sheer appeal of the game has not had any victim of the too much cricket or even mental illness.
Gone are the days when an international side used to play 15 ODIs and fewer tests. The modern player doesn't play Ranji or domestic cricket. It has been replaced by an endless round of international matches, so they don't get a chance to unwind. It means players are being worked into the ground and the burden of playing non-stop cricket is taking its toll. While their can be no obvious symptoms, the performance starts to drop and then escape looks an easy option.
Moreover, the amount of cricket that is being played not only poses threat to physical and mental drainage but also runs the risk of getting bored with having too much cricket to watch. In the past players like Boycott, Trescothick, Harmison has had a taste of stress of it in varying measures
It also calls for an unoblivious attitude from the ICC. International cricket brings in million dollars and there is no way the game's administrators will stop their money-grabbing ways. Sure there are commercial interests , but the tight rope walk would have to be done if more international cricketer will have to be protected from burn out . Hence it is imperative for Cricket administrators to take a proactive step sooner than later
What remains to be seen is whether the decision to pack away his kitbag was the right one for Tait. One just gets the feeling that Tait will come more focused and much more improved cricketer post the break .