Brad Hogg reveals he contemplated suicide in autobiography

10/31/2016

In his new autobiography, Brad Hogg has confessed that following his retirement from the Australian team and the breakdown of his first marriage, he contemplated suicide. The Aussie spinner has revealed his fight with depression and alcoholism that followed stating that he lost his purpose in life.

“I parked my car at Port Beach and went for a walk. I’d stare at the sea and think, I could swim out to that groyne, and if I make it back fine. If I don’t make it back … well, hard luck,” he says in the book as reported by Perthnow.

“I was prepared to let fate decide. I was in a really dark place. I did that Fremantle drive four times. And each time I thought about doing something really drastic.”

The two-time World Cup winner explains that his marital problems started as a result of the retirement from the National team. Hogg retired from the Australian set-up following the 2007-08 Indian series and remembers how he started crying on the field during the Adelaide Test. Following his retirement, Hogg claims that he stopped watching cricket altogether.

“My ego had taken a hit and my purpose in life had diminished,” writes Hogg in the chapter titled "The Collapse".

“I felt I had nowhere to turn. This led to a period of deep depression. It was a cumulative effect of a broken marriage, a mundane work life and my festering anger that I had walked away from cricket.”

Hogg, however, made a comeback to the Australian Twenty20 side following a series of impressive performances in the Big Bash League with the Perth Scorchers. In his five seasons at the franchise, Hogg claimed 46 wickets.

Apart from the Big Bash League, Hogg also played for two teams in the Indian Super League namely the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders.