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

The limited-overs series between Australia and Zimbabwe, which starts this Sunday in Queensland, now includes the all-rounder in the lineup.

Maxwell recently commented, "It is interesting how if you are normal to people, you actually develop friends with them," to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. It is something for which I am glad because, even during my first few years with the Australian team, there was still part of the mindset that said, "We don't talk to them during the series; we wait till after the series, and you can have your discussions then."

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 taken part in a number of franchise leagues around the globe, thinks that such a mentality will make it challenging to survive in contemporary 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.

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