Maxi was on brink for years: Hastings
SAM LANDSBERGER
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 yesterday “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 charged down the Gabba wicket that night but left the ball and was bowled for a golden duck, with footage of a shocked Adam Gilchrist in the commentary box going viral.
While Maxwell is a crowdpleaser, his ultra-aggressive style has proved polarising at times.
National coach Justin Langer said Maxwell’s brilliant knock against Sri Lanka in their T20 international last week was played behind a “mask” and that he had flagged his struggles 24 hours earlier.
Cricket Australia medical staff were due to assess Maxwell in Melbourne yesterday 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, and it’s a big issue.”
Maxwell woke up at 3am last Monday and checked Twitter to discover he had been drafted by Shane Warne’s London Spirit to play in The Hundred competition in England next year.
While Maxwell will earn $235,000 for the six-week tournament, it will also further eat into a calendar year where he already has a Twenty20 World Cup and is likely to return to the Indian Premier League.
Hastings said the jammed schedule was an issue for cricketers, with David Warner once telling the former all-rounder he spent just 20 nights at home in a whole year.
WILL Pucovski fell cheaply for the second time in two days for Victoria as Tasmania took control in their Sheffield Shield match yesterday.
The 21-year-old, touted as a possible Gabba Test debutant for Australia, was out lbw for seven as Victoria wobbled to 6-162 at stumps on day two in Hobart for a lead of 63 runs.
NSW batsman Daniel Solway scored a stylish unbeaten century on his Shield debut against South Australia.
Solway’s 129 not out defied the Redbacks attack, headlined by Chadd Sayers’ six wickets, as the Blues posted 7-274.