Gloucestershire bowler Craig Miles has retired from professional cricket to protect his “mental well-being”.
The 32-year-old, who last played in June, returned to Gloucestershire this year after a six-year stint in Warwickshire.
He started his career at Bristol and took a total of 512 wickets in all three formats of the game.
“While this is by no means an easy decision, given my recent struggles with the game, I have made this call to prioritize my own mental well-being,” Myles said in an open letter on Gloucestershire’s website.
“My recent time away from the game has given me the opportunity to think and understand myself better and my relationship with cricket.
“The challenges I’ve been facing lately are the same ones I’ve faced at other points in my career, though never as intense as this time.
“The high expectations I set for myself and the standards I always strive to reach are often the catalyst for these times.
“Sometimes they compromise my feelings about my abilities and performance. The subsequent questioning and self-doubt only serves to reinforce the useless narrative.
“When you add the volatility and uncertainty that cricket naturally brings, it becomes an unforgiving and ultimately unsustainable way to approach the game.
“The naivety of youth, ambition and the desire to be the best player helped me overcome previous challenges. I saw them as bumps in the road, part of the process or just a period of form, and these were the justifications that allowed me to persevere, bounce back and come through the other side.
“Unfortunately, I now feel I no longer have the ability to continue in a way that allows me to train, play and perform at a standard that I can accept from myself.”