Steve Waugh backs Glenn Maxwell's indefinite break from cricket

Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh on Saturday applauded Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell for showing courage and seeking treatment for his mental health issue. Waugh, who had been a vocal advocate of “tough school” during his captaincy days in the early 2000s, acknowledged that players should not have to suffer in silence. Recently, Cricket Australia announced that Maxwell was ruled out of the national side indefinitely while he gets the treatment he needs. Maxwell had confided his problems to Cricket Australia's support staff ahead of a T20 match against Sri Lanka.

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Waugh backs Maxwell

According to Australian media reports, Waugh said that it was incredibly courageous of Maxwell to have spoken up about his condition. Waugh noted that professional cricket is a high-pressure game, and players, just like ordinary people, have other issues in life. He said that sometimes pressures in life becomes too much to handle.

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Waugh, who led a fierce and uncompromising team in the 1990s and early 2000s, was a champion of the mental disintegration of opponents through sledging to throw them off their game. He has openly admitted that during his time, mental health issue was a taboo and nobody talked about it. Waugh said that during his playing days, it was a tough school, and he felt a lot of players from them might have faced similar mental issues and they could not speak up.

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Waugh also claimed that the advent of social media in modern times has added to mental health issues in sportspersons by putting additional pressure on people to compete with the curated lifestyle of their peers online.  He said that it is time to acknowledge that everyone has their struggles and nobody’s life is perfect. It is time to get more realistic according to the Australian batting legend.

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Meanwhile, Cricket Australia has come out in support of Maxwell, extending all support he needs for his recovery. The head of national teams Ben Oliver stated that the health of the players – mental and physical – was of utmost importance. D’Arcy Short has replaced Maxwell in the side for the time being.