‘Hit pretty hard’: Glenn Maxwell reveals Covid battle and impact on Big Bash

Covid has hit the Big Bash hard and one Australian superstar has revealed the true impact of the virus on the players.

Glenn Maxwell says Covid has been draining. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

Australian superstar Glenn Maxwell admits he was “hit pretty hard” by Covid-19 and said he struggled physically during his matchwinning innings of 68 not out for the Melbourne Stars in their derby win over the Renegades on Thursday night.

In revealing comments post-game, skipper Maxwell also admitted that his players were “cooked” due to the nature of the current season and were “holding on to get through”.

Maxwell guided the Stars home with a confident knock after promoting himself to opener against the Renegades at Marvel Stadium.
Coming off four consecutive single-figure scores, Maxwell struck a six and a four off his first two balls and settled into his innings from there, ensuring the Stars ran home comfortable six-wicket winners with 33 balls remaining.

But he admitted that coming off Covid, plus Melbourne’s decidedly muggy weather, had made the innings a slog.

“I was hit pretty hard with it — I was pretty ill for a few days,” Maxwell said.

“It just takes you a while to get full fitness and even out there, I felt like with the heat and the humidity, I just felt like it affected you a lot more than it has … Joey Clarke (who also contracted Covid) said the same thing after he batted at the MCG (an innings of 83 against the Strikers), he just said he was absolutely cooked.”

Covid hit Glenn Maxwell hard. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

The win on Thursday night propelled the Stars into fifth, meaning victory in their final two games almost certainly assures them of a finals berth.

After teammate and fellow Aussie T20 star Adam Zampa revealed earlier this week that he was close to leaving isolation and returning home such was the impact of this season.

Maxwell was brutally honest about his side’s current condition.

“The guys are cooked, there’s no secret about that,” he said.

“We’re all tired, we’re all holding on to get through this tournament. But at the same stage we’re really proud and we want to put our best foot forward, we want to perform well, we want to win games for the Stars. Everyone’s still got a lot of pride in the jersey and love playing with each other. Once we get to the ground we put all that aside and go our hardest and deal with the fatigue afterwards.”

Maxwell and Adam Zampa, who was close to returning home. Picture: Mike Owen/Getty Images

The Stars will benefit from the imminent return of Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile, who were included in the 17-player squad against the Renegades but didn’t play.

“We’re looking forward to having them at some stage,” Maxwell said.

“We know with their experience and quality, when they come back into the side it’s a really good-looking list. We’ve always said that from the start of the tournament but we probably haven’t put a full-strength team out the whole tournament.”

After three games in just over 72 hours, the Stars enjoy just one day off before their next clash against the Strikers on Saturday morning.

Originally published as ‘Hit pretty hard’: Glenn Maxwell reveals Covid battle and impact on Big Bash