January 08, 2014 - 8:27 AM
SYDNEY - Test cricketer Matt Prior has told the British media how he helped to stop a fellow Englishman who was preparing to jump off a bridge in Sydney.
London's Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that veteran wicketkeeper Prior, paceman Stuart Broad and Terry Minish, the England team's security officer, were returning to their hotel after a charity event when they noticed a man in trouble on the edge of the bridge in Darling Harbour.
"We just did what anybody would do in that situation," Prior was quoted as saying. "We were trying to help a bloke who was struggling and in a bad way. I look back and I'm just glad ... we were there for him."
Broad posted a link to the story on Twitter, and later tweeted: "My latest retweet, @MattPrior13 is a best friend of mine and I'm very proud of him. It was a tough situation but so glad he was there."
Minish said Prior helped the man — who was reportedly from Cheltenham, England, but apparently didn't recognize the players — off the ledge and waited with him until the police arrived.
"Walking back to the hotel we spotted a young man on the edge of the bridge about to jump," Minish was quoted as saying. "He was saying he just wanted to drown. Matt helped to pull him down off the edge of the bridge. It all happened very quickly and we acted on impulse. It is what you do in these situations."
New South Wales state police declined comment, saying they don't comment on self-harm matters or issues of mental health.
England media manager Rhian Evans confirmed Prior spoke to the newspaper and the comments were reported accurately. She said Prior had since left for England because he was not part the limited-overs squad for a five-match series against Australia starting on Sunday. He and Broad were both part of the test team that was swept 5-0 in the recent Ashes series.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014