List of International cricketers who committed suicide
Cricketers’ suiciding is more heard at the domestic level where the players face several issues in building their careers.
Cricketers are not an exception to suicides which is a reflection of depression, personal or financial troubles and even health issues in a few cases. However, the cricketers’ suiciding is more heard at the domestic level where the players face several issues in building their careers.
Taking references from the books based on the cricketers’ suicides; ‘By His Own Hand’ – David Frith, Stanley Paul (1990) and Silence Of The Heart: Cricket Suicides by David Frith (2001) it is found that about 20 International cricketers committed suicide due to depression, financial issues and because they were suffering from diseases for a prolonged period.
The most recent of them is England’s David Bairstow, father of current England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow in 1998 owing to depression caused by conflicts with the administration of his county side Yorkshire.
Former Sri Lankan player, Sunil Jayasinghe committed suicide at the age of 40 after he lived over a decade without a cricketing career as the national board had banned him from playing any form of cricket for 25 years. Jayasinghe moved to South Africa during apartheid policies after the SL board was paying their players peanuts. But he returned only to receive a ban from the SLCB.
Here are cricketers who committed suicide after playing at the International level:
| Player | Country | Internationals | Birth Year | Death | Reason |
| William Scotton | England | 15 Tests | 1856 | Slitting his throat with razor (in 1893) | Depressed by losing his place in Nottinghamshire team |
| Arthur Shrewsbury | England | 23 Tests | 1856 | Shot himself at his sister’s home (1903) | Incorrectly believed that he had an incurable disease |
| Vincent Tancred | South Africa | 1 Test | 1875 | Shot killed himself (in 1904) | Depression |
| Albert Trott | Australia / England | 5 Tests | 1873 | Shot killed himself (in 1914) | Financial issues |
| Andrew Stoddart | England | 16 Tests | 1863 | Killed himself by firearm (in 1915) | Failing health and burden of debts |
| Billy Zulch | South Africa | 16 Tests | 1886 | Cut his throat (in 1924) | Nervous Breakdown |
| William Bruce | Australia | 14 Tests | 1864 | Drowned into a Sea (in 1925) | Depression |
| Aubrey Faulkner | South Africa | 25 Tests | 1881 | Gassed himself at his cricket school (in 1930) | Depression |
| Albert Relf | England | 13 Tests | 1874 | Shot killed himself (in 1937) | Depressed by the illness of his wife |
| George Shepstone | South Africa | 2 Tests | 1876 | Shot killed himself (in 1940) | Suffering from cancer |
| Fen Cresswell | New Zealand | 3 Tests | 1915 | Found dead with a gun next to him (in 1966) | Suffering from cancer |
| Jack Iverson | Australia | 5 Tests | 1915 | Shot killed himself (in 1973) | Depression |
| Sidney Barnes | Australia | 13 Tests | 1916 | Consumed barbiturates and bromide (in 1973) | Depression |
| Harold Gimblett | England | 3 Tests | 1914 | Overdosage of drugs (in 1978) | Psychological problems |
| Jim Burke | Australia | 24 Tests | 1930 | Killed himself with a shotgun (in 1979) | Personal and financial worries |
| Noel Harford | New Zealand | 8 Tests | 1930 | Unknown (in 1981) | Financial issues |
| Joe Partridge | South Africa | 11 Tests | 1932 | Shot killed himself in a Police Station (in 1988) | Arrested for not paying hotel bill |
| Glen Hall | South Africa | 1 Test | 1938 | Shot killed himself after several suicide attempts (in 1987) | Divorce |
| Sunil Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 2 ODIs | 1955 | Took poison (in 1995) | 25-year ban by Sri Lanka Cricket Board |
| David Bairstow | England | 4 Tests, 21 ODIs | 1951 | Hanged himself at home (in 1998) | Depression |
(Note: This list might not be complete)
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