Glenn Maxwell opens up in horrible revelation about leg injury
The Aussie cricketer has made a startling admission about the freak injury that threatened to end his career.
Aussie cricket superstar Glenn Maxwell has poured his heart out about the freak injury towards the end of last year that threatened to end his career. Speaking on Fox Cricket on Tuesday night, the 34-year-old revealed that he thought he might not play again after suffering a horrific broken leg at a friend's 40th birthday party in November.
The star all-rounder's chances of earning a Test recall for Australia's tour of India this year were ruined after he shattered his left fibula and ruptured all the ligaments on top of his foot after slipping while chasing a friend in the backyard mishap.
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“One of my mates, who was also one of my schoolteachers, we were laughing about something and I pretended to chase him off somewhere,” he explained last year.
“I reckon we both took about three or four steps out there, and both slipped at the same time. I just got my foot stuck a little bit, and he fell, unfortunately at a really bad angle and landed straight on my leg.
“It just snapped. I heard and felt every part of it. It was pretty painful. I was screaming a bit and he was like, ‘please tell me you’re joking, please tell me you’re joking’.”
Maxwell says he lost five kilograms after undergoing surgery to fix the injuries and admitted the brutal saga took a massive toll on him mentally as well.
“That first week in hospital was pretty difficult … I did think that I might not play cricket again,” Maxwell said during commentary for the Adelaide Strikers' win over the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash. “There were those thoughts while I was in hospital looking at my leg because it looked like a balloon.
“The next week I was at home after I got back from the hospital and I thought it was going to be a lot easier at home. (But) not having the nurses there and not having the constant pain medication... that was probably the most pain I’ve ever been in. Just trying to get around the house was awful.”
Speaking to Fox Sports commentators Mark Howard and Brad Haddin, the talented all-rounder said it's been a painstakingly slow road to recovery after revealing that he had to teach himself how to walk again. Maxwell says his doctors are confident the 34-year-old will make a full recovery as long as he follows the extensive rehabilitation program that's been set for him.
“I had to teach myself how to walk, which was pretty bizarre because the actual joint was so swollen and tight that it was basically like having two blocks of wood nailed together,” he added. “There was no real movement, no flexion at all. I had to teach myself how to get the courage to walk forward over the top of my foot and go heel to toe.
Glenn Maxwell determined to return stronger
Maxwell said the fact his recovery was so slow in the beginning made him question whether his time in professional cricket may be up. However, the Aussie star said he was determined not to get bogged down in negativity and used the small progress he was making as motivation to return to cricket stronger and hungrier than ever.
“I started looking forward, thinking: ‘You know what? I’m going to make this recovery the best possible recovery possible. I’m going to come back early and stronger than ever.’
“I started to try and use it as a motivation factor instead of: ‘Oh no why has this happened to me?’ I tried to turn it around and think about how I can finish the back-end of my career and be the fittest I’ve been, healthiest and most motivated.
“We’ve got the Test tour of India coming up and I was super motivated to get myself ready for that. Whether or not I’m on that, only time will tell. But I’ve done everything in my power to try and get ready for it and get myself back playing. There’s still a fair way to go.
“I’m really proud of how much work I’ve put in day and night. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights icing and trying to get myself ready, nights sleeping on the couch with pillows all around my foot and ice packs shoved into my boot.”
Maxwell has not put an official return date on his injury comeback to cricket but his hopes of featuring for the Melbourne Stars in this season's Big Bash tournament look slim at best.
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