FORMER New South Wales and Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has shed light on his battle with mental health after taking time away from the game last summer.

The former Test all-rounder took personal leave from the Big Bash League in December, returning weeks later without the pressure of captaincy.

On Tuesday night, the 31-year-old revealed he has been a “long time sufferer of mental illness”, as he prepares to sleep rough to raise funds for youth homelessness.

He added on social media: “During this time, I was extremely fortunate to have amazing support and love from family and friends.

“Add to that the huge backing from my employers and the huge amount of resources we have at hand as professional athletes to guide me through my recovery.

“It dawned on me during my struggle, how would someone cope with mental health challenges without these support structures in place to help them.”

Henriques said without support from family, friends, employers and finances, he wasn’t sure how people with mental health issues would “survive”.

“Young boys and girls have to go through this everyday - they often end up with addiction problems or homeless,” he said.

Henriques first spoke about his absence from cricket in March, telling the Sydney Morning Herald he wasn’t looking to retain his NSW captaincy and was happy to play under Peter Nevill.

He said he felt guilty taking time away from the game but it allowed him to “get a few things right” mentally.

“With a couple of weeks away I’ve started to feel much improved and in a much clearer head space,” he told the publication.

Henriques will be one of the 21 Australian athletes — including former Australia captain Greg Chappell and seamer Mitchell Starc — participating in the Sports Stars Sleepout at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

The Sydney Sixers star by Wednesday morning had raised for The Chappell Foundation (TCF) more than $1,500 of his $3,000 goal, while the foundation had raised more than $21,000.

Henriques recently returned from Canada where he played in the Global T20 tournament for Montreal Tigers.

He played in all six of its matches, making 221 runs at 36.83, including two half-centuries.