Glenn Maxwell opens up on his lowest point in career

Maxwell opens up on his lowest point in career: The Australian all-rounder spoke about how he came out of the most difficult period of his life.

Notwithstanding that competitive sport has its own merits, the flip side of the same is immense pressure for an individual to handle. As audiences, we often fail to realize what these renowned athletes must be going through in their personal lives.

Glenn Maxwell, Australian all-rounder and one of the biggest hitters of the game in the contemporary times, recently opened about a phase in life which made him ‘hate the game’. The pressure of not performing, chiefly getting out in a specific way, had taken its toll on the then 26-year old Maxwell.

The moment being discussed is the ninth match of BBL (Big Bash League) 2014 between Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Stars where Maxwell stepped out of his crease only to shoulder arms to a Ryan Duffield delivery which came back in to hit his stumps. The dismissal had left Maxwell and each and every individual on the ground and in front of their TV screens flabbergasted.

While Maxwell received a lot of flak for getting out in such a manner, it was a time in his life which really ‘hurt’ him. Speaking on the ‘Direct Hit’ segment for Cricket Autralia’s YouTube channel, Maxwell was quoted, “It really hurt. I got called all sorts of things under the sun after that. People were asking me if I was match-fixing.

“I was pretty depressed. I was flat. I was low. Started to really hate the game. I couldn’t understand why I left it. I was trying to come up with reasons why I left it.”

Maxwell admitted to the reality that the dismissal had more to do with the mental side of things and that getting over it was ‘hardest’. “I told the story a few times to people. They laughed. It took me a while to find it funny and just moved on. I think it was the hardest thing going on. It was part of the game. You make a mistake and move on,” he said.

“I am stunned. I am speechless. I really don’t know what to say there. That is the most extra ordinary dismissal I’ve ever seen in the game.” 

Adam Gilchrist was quoted while commentating on the match as Maxwell got out.

Talking on his rich form earlier in the year, Maxwell was of the opinion that the dismissal had put him in a ‘lot of trouble’. “I was at such a high in 2014 where I felt like I was hitting the ball really well. To get to a low where I was charging down the wicket and not playing a shot. It was hard to take and fathom. I was in a lot of trouble,” he added.

Talking to his close ones on the following day was what had given Maxwell a respite after getting bowled on the first ball that he faced in Brisbane. “I had a lot of phone calls the next day. Luckily, they were some really nice people. They all were good in talking me through a pretty tough time. I was able to find a way back from there and try to enjoy the game because I wasn’t really enjoying it. It was hard to find motivation to get on a cricket field.

“I was able to sit down with Ricky Ponting before the next game and had a really good chat with him. I found the spark inside me which drove me forward towards the 2015 World Cup,” he further added.

The unfortunate death of Phillip Hughes had a profound effect on Maxwell to the extent that it took him a while to play cricket again. “It was fresh after the Phil Hughes incident. It took me a while to sort of actually play cricket again. It wasn’t a very good time in all,” he concluded.

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