da dobrowin： Shaun Tait stunned the world and his team-mates by announcing he was taking an indefinite sabbatical from the game
da bwin： 08-Feb-2008
Tait sprang a shock with his announcement © AFP
“Being a fast bowler and a pretty good mate, you pick up little things, and I could tell he was hurting for a while. Seeing his warm-ups, seeing him getting strapped and preparing for games, even walking back to his mark, there were some little signs there.”
“Obviously Taity has been run down for a long period of time. We never saw it. He is just the happiest bloke to have around the change room. It’s hit me like a ton of bricks … We’re all flabbergasted.”
“He’s a really genuine character, a great bloke to have around. He was his usual laughable [sic] self, but deep down he was obviously battling pretty hard. He was obviously going through a tough time … When he does come back, a few guys will really have to take him under their wings I think.”
“We are playing a lot more cricket. We are also under a lot more scrutiny through the media, especially if you are not taking wickets or scoring runs … Taity is going through a bit of a tough time, but it’s up to us as mates to make sure we are calling him and make sure he is in a good place.”
“If ever he wanted advice or to talk to me about what happened to me, I would be more than happy to pass it on.”
“I’d love to have a talk with him, but nobody in Australian cricket has ever asked me to.”
“For me, it shows a lack of character that he’s given up. Instead of people saying, ‘We wish him well and we hope he comes back’ (and we all wish that), I wish he hadn’t gone away and had shown more commitment and more desire.”
“If he’s saying that he’s exhausted, I guarantee that he is … I don’t have any doubts really [that he’ll come back to cricket], but it’s hard for me to say. The main thing is he has got to get that love and passion back for the game – and how long it takes is how long it takes.”
“What a blow. He’s such a popular bloke, a real country boy. I’m sorry he won’t be around for a while.”
“It’s [cricket] the great leveller, as they say … The demons are always around the corner.”
“The amount of depression that I’ve sensed in the game is very considerable. In a way, it’s a tribute to the power of the game. It’s no idle pastime. It’s something that envelopes people.”
By His Own Hand,