Ben Stokes, the Test captain for England, has admitted that the loss of his father has left him with anxiety problems that require medication. In December 2020, Stokes’ father fell away from incurable disease, and the batsman has since had a difficult time adjusting to the loss.

Stokes has previously been pretty outspoken about his mental health problems and decided to take a hiatus from cricket last year in order to focus on his mental health. The England all-rounder admitted that after his father’s passing, he experienced a number of panic episodes and needed to take medicine to treat his anxiousness.

“I never thought I would be on medication to help me with that kind of stuff. I am not embarrassed or ashamed to say it because I needed the help at the time. But it’s not done just because I’m back playing. I still speak to the doc, not as regularly, and I’m still taking medication every day. It’s an ongoing process.”

Stokes said in an Amazon documentary, which will be released on Friday

Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England’s new Test coach, have presided over the team’s stunning comeback since Stokes was named the red-ball captain earlier this year.

Stokes still struggles to keep up with the demanding grind of international cricket, though.

Due to the “unsustainable” demands of playing all three forms, the World Cup champion stated in July that he will stop playing one-day internationals.

Stokes agreed to be recorded for the documentary even when he was at his lowest point because he wanted to expand the conversation about mental health.

“I find sometimes people are a bit nervous to go into the details about that kind of stuff with me. It’s perceived you can’t feel a certain way, that’s a sign of weakness to show that you are not mentally feeling great,”

he told The Telegraph

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Because he hadn’t been able to see his father as frequently as he would have liked throughout his struggle with cancer, Stokes claimed that at the time of his father’s passing, he disliked the England cricket hierarchy and wondered if he was “playing for the wrong people.”

“So I had a real thing with cricket at the time I took a break. I was really angry at the sport because it was dictating when I could see my dad,”

Stokes said