Last month, Maxwell was feeling ill and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance while he was out drinking and attending a performance by the band “Six and Out,” which featured former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee.It was alleged that during the journey, he passed out.
“I think probably it affected my family a little bit more than it affected me. I knew I had that week off. And obviously that incident was less than ideal, and the timing,” Maxwell was quoted as saying by the ‘Australian Associated Press’.
“But I had that week (during which the incident took place) off, I knew I had that week off away from the game,” he said.
The 35-year-old, who tormented the West Indies for a stunning 120 not out off 55 balls on Sunday, demonstrated why he is still Australia’s most potent batsman in the shorter formats. For him, it was a fifth T20I hundred, a record.
“…I came back and got back into my running, my gym program and it felt really good and refreshed once I got back. And it’s all been focused on getting myself ready for this (T20) series and what’s to come,” he said.
He was not included in the last ODI series against the West Indies because Cricket Australia (CA) had opened an investigation into the incident.
Subsequently, the big-hitter was advised by head coach Andrew McDonald to “take care of himself” and “hold up his end of the bargain.”
“He needs to obviously have a look at what he’s doing at his end and is that the right thing to be doing at that time?” McDonald had stated.
Maxwell said he moved on quickly from the incident in Adelaide.
“I just moved on pretty quickly. I was back in training on Monday so I was pretty good. The coach, Bails, everyone really, they have been outstanding,”
On his knock on Sunday, Maxwell said he knew a special effort was coming from his bat.
“I woke up this morning and I just had a funny feeling. I don’t get it very often, and especially batting middle-order you don’t get it often. But I just got a good look at their (West Indies) attack last game in Hobart, and felt like I got a good read of what they were bowling.
“I was disappointed getting out there in the same sort of scenario – short square boundaries with the ground quite similar, and another good wicket. So I felt like I’d missed out again, and I said ‘you know what, I can’t let this opportunity slip’,” he said.
Talking about his life off the field, Maxwell said it is mostly devoted to chilling with his young family.
“…just a lot of family time. I think having that much downtime with the family at the moment, it has just been so good for me away from cricket. And I sort of come to cricket, it is just fun now, I’m able to just go out and just enjoy it,” he said.
Maxwell is not new to being in the news for off-field drama.
Despite a string of injuries last year, he had a fantastic World Cup performance.
Maxwell sustained a concussion after he fell off a golf cart in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup in India.
He shattered his leg when tripping during a friend’s birthday celebration in 2022, and he missed more than three months of cricket as a result.
(With PTI inputs)