Craig Miles: Gloucestershire bowler retires to protect ‘mental well-being’

Gloucestershire bowler Craig Miles has retired from professional cricket to protect his “mental well-being”.

The 32-year-old, who last played in June, returned to Gloucestershire this year after a six-year spell at Warwickshire.

He began his career in Bristol and took 512 wickets in total in all three formats of the game.

“Although this has by no means been an easy decision, given the struggles I’ve experienced with the game in recent times, I’ve made this call in order to prioritise my mental well-being,” Miles wrote in an open letter on the Gloucestershire website.

“My recent time away from the game has given me the opportunity to reflect and understand myself better, as well as my relationship with cricket.

“The challenges I’ve faced recently are ones I’ve experienced at other points in my career, although never with the same intensity as this time.

“The high expectations I place on myself and the standards I’ve always tried to reach have often been the catalyst for these periods.

“At times, they have compromised how I’ve felt about my abilities and performances. The questioning and self-doubt that follow only serve to reinforce an unhelpful narrative.

“When you add in the volatility and uncertainty that cricket naturally brings, it becomes an unforgiving and ultimately unsustainable way to approach the game.

“The naivety of youth, ambition and the continual desire to be the best player I could be helped me through previous challenges. I saw them as bumps in the road, part of the process, or simply a period of form, and those were the justifications that allowed me to persist, bounce back and come through the other side.

“Unfortunately, I now feel I no longer have the capacity to continue in a way that allows me to train, play and perform to a standard I can accept from myself.”