‘We got spiked’: When England stars Tim Bresnan, Jonathan Trott were drugged during 2008 Hong Kong Sixes
Tim Bresnan and Jonathan Trott were the mainstays of England Cricket at the time, and were two of the big names playing in the tournament in Hong Kong in 2008.
Former England speedster Tim Bresnan recalled the time when he and fellow English teammate Jonathan Trott were "drugged" during the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament in 2008. Bresnan and Trott were the mainstays of England Cricket at the time, and were two of the big names playing in the tournament in Hong Kong in 2008. Bresnan also opened up on his battles with mental health which he had to go through in his career.
"Got drugged in Hong Kong. We're in Hong Kong Sixes, myself and Jonny Trott. And we got spiked," the former England pacer said on the Shackles Are Off podcast. "They reckon it was ketamine, there were traces in our system. But we got to Loughborough and got the drugs tested and stuff, the voluntary ones. I'd lost the plot by then anyway," he added.
The 35-year-old, who last played for England in an ODI game against Ireland in 2015, further added: "That was the … end of the 2008 summer. And then I had that whole winter off, had a really good pre-season with Yorkshire, in Abu Dhabi. It was like walking back into an environment with all your mates … it was like a stag do, and really enjoyed it. Really enjoyed my cricket again. I played my first Test in 2009 of that summer."
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Bresnan, who recently left Yorkshire County Cricket, ending his 19-year long association with the club, to join Warwickshire on a two-year-deal, recalled the mental health issues he faced after his debut series against Sri Lanka where he was thrashed by Sanath Jayasuriya.
"I've struggled in the past, mental health wise, don't mind saying," Bresnan said. "Had a couple of decent-sized wobbles actually, and I'd just gone, 'That's enough for me, I don't want to play cricket anymore' kind of thing.
"I had a big one after the series I made my debut actually [against Sri Lanka in 2006], got pumped everywhere by [Sanath] Jayasuriya. And I couldn't actually bowl to a left-hander for about three years after that. I just got nervous every time a left-hander came," he added.
