Alex Hartley, England’s Spinner, Opens Up About Her Difficult Decision to Take a Break from Cricket

England spinner Alex Hartley makes a tough call on her cricket career

For England’s left-arm spinner Alex Hartley, saying goodbye to the game she loves was not an easy decision. After much contemplation and introspection, the 29-year-old decided to take an indefinite break from cricket due to mental health concerns.

Hartley admitted that she had been “struggling mentally” for quite some time now and it has affected her performance on the pitch. The Lancashire player revealed that she hasn’t felt like herself lately and wanted to fall back in love with the sport again.

The player who helped England win their fourth Women’s World Cup title in 2017 has played 28 ODIs and four T20s for her country but last made an international appearance two years ago. She featured this year for Thunder in both Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup but is unsure about participating in ‘The Hundred’ tournament.

The Welsh Fire squad member took to Twitter over the weekend explaining how difficult it was making this decision while sharing photos of her younger self playing cricket.

Doesn’t mean it’s over, I have absolutely no doubt I’ll be back stronger than ever,” said Alex while announcing her hiatus from professional cricket.

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