Breaking the pain barrier
“Just to do that is more than impressive…It is one of those epic tales of grit and determination.” Another quote on Glenn ‘201 not out’ Maxwell as he stood with a smile that spread all the way to the Australia dressing room on Tuesday night, right? Wrong.
Glenn Maxwell is attended by a member of team support staff during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match between Australia and Afghanistan (AP)
The quotation is attributed to Dr Steve Shoemaker, an orthopaedic surgeon, in The San Diego Union-Tribune and refers to Tiger Woods winning the 2008 US Open after having used his clubs for support through the weekend. One month before he was doubling over in pain while trying to get up from a chair and doctors had told Woods he shouldn’t play. You normally wouldn’t if you have two stress fractures on your left leg. Definitely not without a knee brace. Woods did both and won his 14th major beating Rocco Mediate in the play-off. No wonder, the win, in his words, was “probably the best ever”.
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Maxwell’s Houdini act came when he was cramping severely. His back was tight early in the innings, Australia skipper Pat Cummins said at the press conference after their three-wicket escape to victory against Afghanistan. He also had cramp in his hamstring and calves. He couldn’t move so he stood and delivered, showing superb wristwork and control. This was like Alvin Kallicharan’s 10-ball 35-run assault on Dennis Lillee in the 1975 World Cup spread across the Afghanistan attack and for much longer.
“He kept hitting them in the stands, we can’t put fielders in the stands
