Maxwell was warned to get off social media SAM LANDSBERGER Melbourne

GLENN Maxwell was urged to quit social media by a Melbourne Stars teammate five years ago after a barrage of abuse left the all-rounder shattered.

Former Stars captain John Hastings said “it was only a matter of time” until Maxwell took a break from cricket to deal with his mental health given what he has copped throughout his career.

“I remember sitting next to him up at the Gabba after a Stars game a few years ago and he said, ‘ Have a look at this’,” Hastings said.

“It was absolute abuse that he copped and I was like, ‘Mate you’ve got to get off social media, you’ve got to stop worrying about this stuff’. He takes things very personally and it’s a real shame this has happened, but he’s got a lot of good people around him.”

Maxwell, 31, has 4.6 million fans on Facebook and 1.4 million fans on Twitter. He absorbs plenty of feedback on Twitter, a lot of it unhealthy.

While Maxwell is a crowdpleaser, his ultra-aggressive style has proved polarising at times. Coach Justin Langer said Maxwell’s brilliant knock against Sri Lanka last week was played behind a “mask” and that he had flagged his struggles 24 hours earlier.

Cricket Australia doctors are due to assess Maxwell after he was replaced in the T20 squad by D’Arcy Short.

“In Glenn’s situation I’m talking thousands of people that are hopping into him after a game,” Hastings said.

“If he went out there and reverse-swept one and got out first ball it’d probably be tens of thousands. He’s one of the most followed athletes in Australia on social media. He’s engrossed in it, as are a lot of athletes as well. It’s a big issue.”

Hastings said the jammed schedule was also an issue for global cricketers, with many players rarely spending time at home with family.