Craig Miles, Gloucestershire seamer, retires aged 32 to prioritise mental health

Miles made his debut for Gloucestershire as a 16-year-old in May 2011, making him the fourth-youngest player in the club's history. He went on to claim 512 wickets across formats in his 16-season career, including 368 at 28.58 in first-class cricket. In 2015, he was named the club's Young Player of the Year after contributing 12 wickets, including a best of 4 for 29 against Yorkshire, en route to Gloucestershire's victory in the Royal London One-Day Cup final.

He returned to Gloucestershire last summer, having spent seven successful seasons at Warwickshire from 2018 to 2024. This spell included 37 wickets at 21.81 in their successful County Championship campaign in 2021, and he went on to star in that summer's Bob Willis Trophy Final at Lord's, taking 5 for 28 in the first innings as Warwickshire beat Lancashire by an innings and 199 runs.

In an open letter to Gloucestershire's fans, Miles explained his reasons for now stepping away from the game, as he acknowledged the toll that professional sport had taken on his mental wellbeing.

"It's with sadness, but also with huge pride, that I can announce my retirement from professional cricket," Miles wrote.

"Although this has by no means been an easy decision … making the decision now allows me to look back on my career with fondness and gratitude towards a game that has given me so much.

"The longevity and achievements are far beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of, and the friends, experiences and memories I've made will last a lifetime."

Though he played in four Championship matches at the start of the season, Miles had been on a leave of absence with Gloucestershire since the opening rounds of the T20 Blast in June. He thanked the club for their "outstanding" support during "the most precarious period of my career".

"My recent time away from the game has given me the opportunity to reflect and understand myself better, as well as my relationship with cricket," he added. "The challenges I've faced recently are ones I've experienced at other points in my career, although never with the same intensity as this time.

"When you add in 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 continual desire to be the best player I could be helped me through previous challenges. I saw them as bumps in the road, part of the process, or simply a period of form, and those were the justifications that allowed me to persist, bounce back and come through the other side.

"Unfortunately, I now feel I no longer have the capacity to continue in a way that allows me to train, play and perform to a standard I can accept from myself."

Jon Lewis, Gloucestershire's director of cricket, said: "Craig has come to a decision which, in my view, is incredibly brave. The vulnerability he has shown in talking about what he's been going through is a real strength of his. It shows the true character of the man that he's willing to step away from something he loves, and he does so with the full backing of everyone at the club."

"Craig is a Gloucestershire boy. I was lucky enough to present him with his first cap back in 2011, and he's been incredibly proud to represent this wonderful club. We'll be working hard to support Craig as he transitions out of the game."

Miles added that he had given his professional career "a good go", and thanked his family and colleagues for their support, as well as the Professional Cricketers' Association and the mental health charity Sporting Chance.

"Of course, there have also been so many periods when I've loved the game, played with freedom and truly expressed the player I am," he said.

"A first-class debut at 16, more than 200 games, over 500 wickets, a One Day Cup and a Championship win - it's been a pretty good go. I can appreciate those accomplishments more than ever now and, perhaps for the first time, give myself the self-validation I deserve.

"I've shared changing rooms with so many incredible people, played with and against some great players, and been fortunate enough to come out on the right side of some amazing games."