Flintoff praises PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust ahead of Cricket United Day Andrew Flintoff, the President of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, has praised the work of the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust in helping past and present professional cricketers. Former England all-rounder Flintoff is one of the PCA members who have benefitted from the support of the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust and the former England and Lancashire all-rounder, who was elected PCA President in February, is now helping to raise awareness of the charity’s work. Flintoff interviewed three past players, former Durham and Northamptonshire paceman Luke Evans, ex-Nottinghamshire batsman Josh Mierkalns and Darren Bicknell, the former Surrey and Nottinghamshire opening batsman, who have all received help from the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust as part of Sky’s coverage of the charity’s work for this year’s Cricket United Day at the Kia Oval on August 13. ” The PCA has been an organisation which has supported me all the way through a playing career and some of the problems I have had afterwards so to become the head with the responsibilities of doing that excites me. It also makes me a little bit nervous I want to do the best job I possibly can,” Flintoff said. ” Playing professional cricket you experience massive highs. Playing for Lancashire, playing for England in Ashes winning series but, on the flip side of that, I have had some pretty dark times as a professional cricketer. ” I have had times to myself where I didn’t know where to go. I was the type of player who was always bad at asking for help. I would never pick the phone up and say to someone: you know what I am struggling a bit here can you help me? ” I think that’s still a barrier that with the PCA we are trying to break down. The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is like and insurance fund for cricketers and it’s open to any member.” Evans sought PCA help last September after his wife suffered a stroke caused by a clot in an artery in her neck while the couple were on holiday in Greece ” Our castle has been knocked down and we have got to rebuild the foundation and the cement of that is the support of the people around us,” Evans said. ” High up on that list, if not at the top, is the cricketing community, the PCA and the Professional Cricketers’ Trust and their contribution in a pretty grim situation. But the light is just starting to peek through. ” The continued support of the PCA and the Professional Cricketers’ Trust is something I will never forget.” {{pcaflint}} Mierkalns, who once shared a dressing room with Flintoff when he did twelfth man duties for England during a Test Match at Trent Bridge, has received support from the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust to help cope with a series of major operations. He is now back playing club cricket for Caythorpe and is working as a personal trainer at a David Lloyd gym in Nottingham. ” I have ulcerative colitis which is inflammation and ulceration of the large bowel. I’ve had three major and numerous minor operations,” Mierkalns said. ” I’ve spent endless days and nights in hospital wondering what was going to happen to me. Am I going to get better? Do I still want to live? I got that low and without the PCA’s help I definitely be in the position that I am today.” Bicknell sought help for scans on an arthritic hip which was restricting his mobility in his coaching duties as director of the Belvoir Castle Cricket and Countryside Trust. ” I have been struggling in recent times with a hip injury. I have got an arthritic hip which need an operation. It took me 12 weeks to get a scan done,” Bicknell said. ” Out of desperation I phoned Jason Ratcliffe, the Assistant Chief Executive of the PCA, and said: look this is the situation, was there was anything he could do? He said: leave it with me. Within two hours he rang back and said: we can help you through the Professional Cricketers’ Trust. ” He got me to see a private consultant within a couple of days, they scanned me, two days later I got the results and the process is moving forward very quickly.” The Professional Cricketers’ Trust is part of the PCA’s commitment to helping former and current players and their dependants in times of hardship and upheaval or to readjust to the world beyond cricket. Few careers carry so much uncertainty as that of a professional cricketer. The demands of playing any sport for a living leaves little time to consider and plan for unforeseen misfortunes in the future. A concerted and proactive drive to help and educate on all health and wellbeing issues is key in helping to negate problems further down the line. The Fund also supports players and their dependants who might be in need of a helping hand with medical advice, a much-needed operation or those who require specialist advice, care or assistance. Benevolent issues are those that pull at everyone’s heart strings and can sometimes be the difference between life and death. This emphasises the important work that the PCA does in generating funds. Further information about the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust can be found here: https://www.thepca.co.uk/benevolent_fund.html Cricket United brings together the country’s three leading cricket charities, the Lord’s Taverners, Chance to Shine and the PCA Professional Cricketers’ Trust, for awareness and fundraising events each year since 2013, with the ultimate aim of changing lives for the better through cricket. Further information about Cricket United can be found here: http://cricketunited.co.uk/ {{ak_sharing}}
