Maxwell takes a break to treat mental issues
MELBOURNE:AUSTRALIA all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is taking an indefinite break from cricket with immediate effect as he undergoes treatment for mental health issues, coach Justin Langer said. Maxwell, who played in Australia’s two T20 wins against Sri Lanka in recent days and starred in the Adelaide series-opener, will be replaced by batsman D’arcy Short for the third and final match in Melbourne on Friday.
Langer said he had spoken to Maxwell after sensing something was amiss with the hard-hitting 31-year-old before the Adelaide game, Australia’s first international of the home summer. “I’m not sure what prompted (it) just before Adelaide,” Langer told reporters in Melbourne.
“But you just could tell it was not quite right and he probably wasn’t going to say (anything).
“Even though in Adelaide he had that incredible innings and fielded like a genius like he can, I don’t think he got much joy out of it, to be honest.”
“There’s been a few times over the last 12 months where I’ve suspected that he was probably battling a little bit, but mainly in Adelaide last week before the first game,” Langer was quoted as saying by ‘Espncricinfo’.
“A few little things just weren’t quite adding up. I just asked how he was going and he said, ‘No, I’m not going that well actually’. I’m pleased he feels he has got that trust in the environment to be able to do that and he has got to do some work now to get himself right,” he added.
A fan favourite and one of Australia’s most devastating batsmen in short-format cricket, Maxwell was in fine touch at Adelaide Oval where he blasted 62 off 29 balls to hasten his team to a 134run victory. He was also his usual energetic presence in the field, effecting a brilliant run-out and engaging in banter with broadcasters. “They often put on a mask,” Langer said of people suffering mental health problems.
“In public positions they have to put on a mask all the time. That’s his armour, his energy and the way he plays.”
“Behind the mask of the great entertainer and the great talent and the great team man and everything we see publicly—a lot of these guys, they are human and they are hurting a bit. Hopefully, he’ll be fine,” Langer said.
Maxwell, who has played 110 one-day internationals and 61 T20IS, will be assessed in Melbourne over the next “day or so”, Langer said. Melbourne man Maxwell ranks among Australia’s top-earning athletes, enjoying global prestige as a coveted gun-for-hire in domestic T20 competitions. But his goal of breaking into the Test side, seen as the pinnacle of the sport in Australia, has largely been frustrated.
He has been dropped several times in his career of seven Tests and was snubbed for the Ashes series played in England over August-september. Australia retained the urn.
While a number of local pundits felt selectors had dealt with Maxwell harshly, the cricketer said he had moved on. “You can’t play cricket bitter, it detracts from yourself and makes you stop concentrating on what you need to do,” Maxwell said in a recent interview with Espncricinfo.
Langer also said that the amount of travelling that a modern-day cricketer endures is contributing to his general stress. “I think just mentally and physically it’s exhausting and we’ve always got to try and find the balance. That’s part of the world we live in now and I’m sure that’s a part of how he’s feeling,” he said.
A number of top Australian cricketers have battled mental health problems in recent years.
Will Pucovski took a break from domestic cricket a year ago and also withdrew from the Test squad in January to undergo treatment. Three-test batsman Nic Maddinson also took time off in 2017 after being dropped from the Test side before returning to the game after treatment.