Tait should be commended
If Shaun Tait was struggling with the weight of expectation and had lost the desire to play cricket then he has done the right thing by taking a break, according to Robert Craddock in the Herald Sun .
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
If Shaun Tait was struggling with the weight of expectation and had lost the desire to play cricket then he has done the right thing by taking a break, according to Robert Craddock in the Herald Sun.
Tait recently revealed his life motto is, "You can't please everyone, so don't try and please anyone". And he has lived up to it by putting his peace of mind ahead of fame and fortune and by taking a break from the game. He is to be applauded for his courage. Some people, who yesterday asked how Tait could be burnt-out after playing just one first-class match in a month, have misread his condition. Sometimes in sport the most mentally taxing place to be is not in the middle or even on the sidelines because of injury. Even more challenging can be the twilight zone where Tait has spent his entire career.
Tait's manager, Andrew McRitchie, tells the Australian the bowler has not quit the game for good.
"He's just having a break,” he said. “It's a brave call for him … he's a 24-year-old big, proud, strong Australian, and for all we know he's been battling for a while. No, he's not quitting, and no it's not an off-ground issue. He's just really had a gutful."
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here