Daley beats depression to return to cricket

Shanel Daley was at the heights of her career when she picked up a serious knee injury playing for the West Indies away against Australia in 2015.

A permanent fixture in the regional team at the time, Daley had amassed over 73 wickets in one-day internationals and 72 wickets in T20 Internationals before that ill-fated incident.

"I remembered it like yesterday, I was on the boundary fielding and I dove for a ball and then I felt something popped in my knee and I immediately knew it was bad," explained Daley.

The left-arm slow bowler had to undergo surgery which was conducted by the West Indies Chief Medical officer, Dr AkshaiMansingh, and since then Daley has never been the same player.

The 2017 World Cup was the last international tournament for Daley, who began to slowly lose interest in the sport which she grew up around.

Daley, who is the daughter of former Jamaica fast bowler, Aaron Daley, said she went to England right after the World Cup to play in a lower division league in Stoke, but that change of environment didn't do much intervention with regards to her feelings towards the game.

"I reached a point where I hated the game, I was forcing myself to play and I didn't want to be doing that anymore and I knew something serious was wrong."

Clinical depression

Daley sought help from the Cricket West Indies and reached out to player relations officer Josina Luke, who recommended that Dalay see a doctor.

The 30-year-old was then diagnosed with clinical depression and from then on she knew her life would not be the same.

"I started to do a couple of sessions with a psychologist here in Jamaica and I was also taking anti-depressants which helped me in the long run. I went away to the States and spent some time over there and now I am back home and doing a lot better."

Since then, Daley has not picked up a cricket ball until recently when she turned out for St. Ann in the Jamaica Cricket Association Women's League.

With a couple of wickets under her belt, plus a half-century knock to go with that, Daley has once again been bitten by the cricket bug.

"I am having lots of fun once again when I walk out on the field and playing with these young women makes me feel happy, and I get goosebumps."

National women's coach and coach of the St Ann women's team, Cleon Smith, says he welcomes Shanel's return and believes she still has a lot to offer to the sport.

"I knew Shanel was going through her problems and what I did I took her from Melbourne Cricket Club and brought her to St Ann in a different environment, and that relocation has surely reignited her passion for the game."

Daley, who has more than 1,000 runs in ODI's and more than 460 runs in T20's for the West Indies, says her main goal right now is to represent Jamaica once again.

"My goal is to get back to playing for Jamaica, first of all, if the opportunity comes around for me to represent the West Indies once again, I will take it with both hands."