Glenn Maxwell Discusses Australia's Old Abrasive Cricket Culture

Glenn Maxwell, an Australian all-rounder, has stated that the culture of Australian cricket teams being abrasive and not interacting well with opposition players until a series/tournament was over made him uneasy in the early stages of his career.

The all-rounder is presently part of Australia’s selection for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe, which begins this Sunday in Queensland.

Maxwell recently told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, “It is strange how if you are normal to people, you actually develop friends with them, is it?” It is something I am grateful for; even in my first couple of years with the Australian team, there was still a bit of that ‘we are not friends with them during the series, we wait till after the series and you can have your discussions then’ attitude.”

He went on to say, “But you play with everyone all year.” I played with Wanindu Hasaranga in the IPL for two seasons, and now I am playing a series against him [in Sri Lanka], so I am catching up with him in between games and talking about other topics. The same thing happened to Dushmantha Chameera.”

I love playing with a smile on my face: Glenn Maxwell

Maxwell, who has participated in several franchise leagues throughout the world, believes that such an attitude will make it difficult to survive in modern cricket.
“You are just meeting paths with players all over the place, whether it is county cricket, IPL, or guys from all around the world, so it is difficult to have that deadpan, killing instinct during the game and just ignore people,” he explained.

“You are probably not going to make it in the game if you keep doing that.” There will be a stigma attached to you, and teams will be hesitant to sign you. But I believe that the modern approach of playing is to be able to play the game hard and fair while keeping your friendships intact. I know it is more fun for me since I enjoy having fun and playing with a smile on my face.”

The all-rounder is presently part of Australia’s selection for the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe, which begins this Sunday in Queensland.

Also Read: India vs Pakistan: Virat Kohli Set To Achieve This Unique Milestone In The First Match Of The Tournament