Glenn Maxwell opens up on his mental health battle as he prepares to return to cricket with Melbourne Stars
Glenn Maxwell didn’t sleep in his own bed for more than 200 days between February and September. The taxing schedule left the Melbourne Stars captain “cooked” and led to his break from the game to focus on his mental health.
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Glenn Maxwell will consider reducing his cluttered calendar after five years spent playing cricket around the world left him “mentally and physically ruined”.
Maxwell, 31, revealed on Friday that the constant abuse he cops on social media did not play a big factor in the deterioration of his mental health.
Instead it was the pressure Maxwell applied to himself, combined with a draining workload, that triggered his decision to exit Australia’s T20 series in late October.
Maxwell’s partner Vini urged him to seek professional help and, after returning home, the electrifying all-rounder phoned New South Wales star Moises Henriques, who battled crippling depression for many years.
“I think (Henriques) was my first phone call after everything calmed down,” Maxwell said.
“He was brilliant for me, given he’s gone through it as well. For him to give me an idea of what I was going to expect to see over the next few weeks, he was outstanding.”
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Maxwell met new Melbourne Stars coach David Hussey three weeks ago, where they decided he would remain captain after leading the franchise to last season’s Big Bash final.
Maxwell will toss the coin when Stars face Brisbane Heat at the Gabba next Friday night.
Maxwell did not expect to miss six weeks, although he did put his hand up for Victoria’s Sheffield Shield clash against Western Australia last week.
“I was pretty cooked when I decided to take the time off,” Maxwell said.
“It was eight months on the road and living out of a suitcase and that had probably been going on for four or five years.
“(I was) constantly on the road and it all caught up with me.
“You go through a lot of waves of emotion over the first few weeks. Especially that first week, that was probably the hardest.
“My girlfriend was probably my No. 1 (supporter). It probably wasn’t an easy job for her dealing with me going through my mood swings non-stop for the first few weeks.”
Maxwell spent his time on the sidelines at home and still watched plenty of cricket on TV.
Cricket Australia psychologist Dr Michael Lloyd has known Maxwell since he was a teenager and was also a big help.
Maxwell said he would revisit his busy schedule.
“I did put a bit of pressure on myself to try and play as much as I could this year,” he said.
“Rightly or wrongly I just didn’t come out of it the way I thought I was going to.”
But scaling back 2020 appears to be a tough ask.
Maxwell wants to travel to India for next month’s ODI series and is likely to travel to South Africa in February for another white-ball series.
Maxwell will also return to the Indian Premier League, having nominated for the rich player draft, and has been signed by Shane Warne’s London Spirit franchise for The Hundred tournament in England next July.
He also shapes as Australia’s key weapon for the T20 World Cup, which begins in October. The final will be played at the MCG on November 15.
Maxwell was in close contact with Victorians Will Pucovski and Nic Maddinson throughout their mental health breaks.
“(But) mental health can affect you in a different way and we were all going through different types of mental health stress,” Maxwell said.
Originally published as Glenn Maxwell opens up on his mental health battle as he prepares to return to cricket with Melbourne Stars