Cricketers who committed suicide: Suicides among cricketers are more frequently reported at the domestic level, where players often encounter significant challenges in advancing their careers.
Cricketers are not immune to suicide, which often reflects underlying issues such as depression, personal or financial troubles, and health concerns in some cases. However, these tragedies are more commonly reported at the domestic level, where players face numerous challenges in developing their careers.
Referencing books on cricketers’ suicides, such as By His Own Hand by David Frith (1990) and Silence of the Heart: Cricket Suicides (2001), it has been noted that around 20 international cricketers took their own lives due to depression, financial difficulties, and long-term health issues.
Former Sri Lankan player Sunil Jayasinghe took his own life at the age of 40 after spending over a decade away from the sport, having been banned by the national board from playing any form of cricket for 25 years. After moving to South Africa during the apartheid era due to the Sri Lankan board’s meager pay, he returned to Sri Lanka only to face a ban from the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.
Here are cricketers who committed suicide after playing at the International level:
| Player | Country | Internationals | Birth Year | Death | Reason |
| William Scotton | England | 15 Tests | 1856 | Slitting his throat with razor (in 1893) | Depressed by losing his place in Nottinghamshire team |
| Arthur Shrewsbury | England | 23 Tests | 1856 | Shot himself at his sister’s home (1903) | Incorrectly believed that he had an incurable disease |
| Vincent Tancred | South Africa | 1 Test | 1875 | Shot killed himself (in 1904) | Depression |
| Albert Trott | Australia / England | 5 Tests | 1873 | Shot killed himself (in 1914) | Financial issues |
| Andrew Stoddart | England | 16 Tests | 1863 | Killed himself by firearm (in 1915) | Failing health and burden of debts |
| Billy Zulch | South Africa | 16 Tests | 1886 | Cut his throat (in 1924) | Nervous Breakdown |
| William Bruce | Australia | 14 Tests | 1864 | Drowned into a Sea (in 1925) | Depression |
| Aubrey Faulkner | South Africa | 25 Tests | 1881 | Gassed himself at his cricket school (in 1930) | Depression |
| Albert Relf | England | 13 Tests | 1874 | Shot killed himself (in 1937) | Depressed by the illness of his wife |
| George Shepstone | South Africa | 2 Tests | 1876 | Shot killed himself (in 1940) | Suffering from cancer |
| Fen Cresswell | New Zealand | 3 Tests | 1915 | Found dead with a gun next to him (in 1966) | Suffering from cancer |
| Jack Iverson | Australia | 5 Tests | 1915 | Shot killed himself (in 1973) | Depression |
| Sidney Barnes | Australia | 13 Tests | 1916 | Consumed barbiturates and bromide (in 1973) | Depression |
| Harold Gimblett | England | 3 Tests | 1914 | Overdosage of drugs (in 1978) | Psychological problems |
| Jim Burke | Australia | 24 Tests | 1930 | Killed himself with a shotgun (in 1979) | Personal and financial worries |
| Noel Harford | New Zealand | 8 Tests | 1930 | Unknown (in 1981) | Financial issues |
| Joe Partridge | South Africa | 11 Tests | 1932 | Shot killed himself in a Police Station (in 1988) | Arrested for not paying hotel bill |
| Glen Hall | South Africa | 1 Test | 1938 | Shot killed himself after several suicide attempts (in 1987) | Divorce |
| Sunil Jayasinghe | Sri Lanka | 2 ODIs | 1955 | Took poison (in 1995) | 25-year ban by Sri Lanka Cricket Board |
| David Bairstow | England | 4 Tests, 21 ODIs | 1951 | Hanged himself at home (in 1998) | Depression |