PCA PRESS RELEASE
T20 World Cup winner reflects on career transition.
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Former England batsman Michael Lumb admitted that he has been through some “dark days” in an honest interview with the PCA, but has also told the Association of his enjoyment at taking on everything that has come his way since retirement.
Lumb, 39, represented his national side on 30 occasions across all formats and scored over 23,000 professional runs in a career spanning 17 years which came to an end while at Nottinghamshire in 2017.
The former Yorkshire and Hampshire left-hander describes the end of his playing career as “the darkest time of (his) life”, but he has since built a new career as a Client Director with Phoenix Management Group. The organisation, founded by former cricketer Neil Fairbrother in 2018, represents a number of famous sporting faces including Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Sarah Taylor.
The PCA supported Lumb throughout his entire transition process, beginning with him attending the Association’s inaugural Futures Conference, then the Transition Conference, in 2017, months after he was forced into an early retirement due to injury.
The T20 globetrotter, who represented Sydney Sixers in Australia’s Big Bash and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, has since spoken to the PCA about his experiences to coincide with its 2019 Futures Week.
“You always think you should be playing but, deep down, maybe you know that you shouldn’t,” Lumb reflects.
“I wasn’t ready to finish but the curtain comes down, the doctor tells you you’re not going to play cricket anymore and it’s just brutal.
“One day you’re a professional cricketer – you know what you’re doing – and the next day you’re not.
“It’s great while we’re in it but there’s so much else out there – you can literally be whatever you want to be.
“If I spoke to a young player now, I would tell them that they’ve got to get something set in motion. It could be anything – any course that’s offered by the PCA.
“You might find something that you really love, but you’ll never know unless you try.”
For more information on the PCA’s Personal Development and Welfare Programme, click here.
