It is not an exaggeration when I say that Mike Yardy possesses the courage of 20 men.

You only have to read a couple of excerpts of his new autobiography to get a sense of the courage Yards showed during his career as he fought a battle both on the field and in his head.

I captained Yards for eight years at Sussex and he kept his problems hidden so well. There were no obvious signs he was struggling with depression and to be able to do that and perform to the level he did was quite remarkable.

But that summed him up. He was perhaps the gutsiest bloke I have ever met and the revelations about the depths of his mental anguish in The Hard Yards only goes to underline his strength of character.

I could tell there was something special about Yards when he made his Championship debut at Colwyn Bay back in 2000.

It was not the most auspicious starts performance wise as he made four and nine in a heavy defeat but there were little things that struck me during that week which hinted he would go on to be a key player for club and country over the next 15 years.

As captain you are always keeping a keen eye on any young player coming into the dressing room and from the way he conducted himself it was clear he had that desire and determination to succeed against whatever odds were stacked against him.

I couldn't think of anyone better to take over from me as captain at Sussex and I know the job meant an awful lot to him as he is a Sussex boy born and bred.

The only shame is that he wasn't able to carry on for a few more years as he still had so much to offer as a player but I'm really pleased he took the decision to retire because sometimes we all need to remember that cricket is only a game and our well-being and happiness is far more important.

Yards is one of a number of cricketers to have spoken publicly about his problems with mental health.

Marcus Trescothick was the first and just this week former Sussex spinner Monty Panesar has discussed his battles with paranoia and depression.

Whether it is a an issue which is on the increase in the game or people are just more willing to be open about it I'm not sure. I do know that 20 years ago revealing you were suffering from depression would have been seen as a sign of weakness and used against you.

It's great that there is a lot more understanding out there and organisations like the Professional Cricketers Association offer help to those that need it.

Why is mental health a problem in cricket? It's hard for me to say as I never experienced it myself but there is no other sport where you are under pressure to perform for such a long period of time.

In football you are on the pitch for 90 minutes, rugby it is 80 but in a Championship game you can be out there for six hours a day for four days in a row and that can take its toll over a long season.

Add in the fact you are away from home for long periods of time as well and that the growth of social media means you are under far more scrutiny than in the past and you can understand why some players find it hard to cope.