You’re playing for your country, there’s always plenty to play for – Glenn Maxwell underlines his biggest source of inspiration ahead of the 2023 World Cup

In less than two months, the World Cup will be upon us and Australia will be hoping to dish out their best as they set eyes on the prized silverware. Australian all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell, who is soon to be a father, recently opened up to Fox Cricket about how being a dad doesn’t necessarily serve as any extra motivation to him. According to Maxwell, playing for the country is possibly the biggest motivation that any player can have.

However, before the World Cup, Australia will have a couple of hurdles to overcome as they will be playing South Africa in a T20I and an ODI series before flying down to India to play a three-match ODI series which is going to be the final chapter of preparation for both the teams ahead of the quadrennial extravaganza.

Talking to Fox Cricket, Glenn Maxwell said, “You’re playing for your country, there’s always plenty to play for. It doesn’t get heightened by any other reasons. Any time you’re representing your country, it’s worth exactly the same as any other time. But it’s just going to be a bit different. As a dad, I’ll probably have my mind going elsewhere at different times.”

Maxi further added, “It’s probably a nice distraction, gives you something else to think about. Sometimes when you go all into cricket, you can get a bit mentally drained, especially during these big tournaments. But I think having that distraction is quite nice, gives me something else off the field and not just playing a round of golf and spacing out that way.”

Also talking about his future, Glenn Maxwell said, “I try and keep things open. I still feel quite long and I still feel like the role I play and where my body is at is still viable for a long period of time. As soon as someone either gets past me or is better than me, then I’ll probably step aside. But I think while there’s still a role to play in the side and while I feel I’m doing the job and still feel like I’m up to it, I’m still pretty comfortable playing for Australia as long as I can.”