3 minute read

Chris Lynn says 25 million Australians would be united in their support of Glenn Maxwell, after he took a break from cricket to deal with his mental health.

Chris Lynn believes all Australians are behind his close mate Glenn Maxwell after the cricket superstar took an indefinite break for his mental health.

Lynn said he felt a shiver go down his spine when he heard Maxwell was stepping away from the game and was set to miss the rest of the Twenty20 series to manage his health.

Maxwell is believed to have been dealing with personal issues for the past month and spoke with coach Justin Langer on the issue last week.

The decision was made on Wednesday night for the 31-year-old to take a "short break" from the game.

"It obviously sends shivers down your spine when you hear something like this," Lynn said.

"Glenn is a close mate of mine. When one man goes down the whole team feels it. I think the whole of Australia feels it.

"As men we don't speak up enough about it, so as men I am really proud he has come out and assessed his situation and realised cricket is not for him right now.

"He is such a talent, there is no doubt he will get back there.

"He also has to realise there are 25 million people in Australia behind him as well, that's the main thing."

Regarded as one of cricket's great entertainers, Maxwell is one of the most lively members of the Australian squad.

He whacked 62 off 28 balls against Sri Lanka as recently as Sunday, and has been on the on-field microphone in the past two matches.

But Lynn warned any athlete was susceptible to personal issues and noted that both cricket and sport have come a long way in helping dealing with them.

"It's not all gravy. It's a big iceberg and sometimes we only see the tip of it," Lynn said.

"With social media we see it from a lot of sportsmen where they might be bluffing, putting posts up where they might be happy or not.

"Cricket will have a big dent in it when he is on the sidelines. In saying that I don't want him to rush at all.

"He is a mate of mine, whatever he needs, we'll be there."