Australian all-rounder Glen Maxwell revealed that he was left shocked and hurt after he was implicated in a documentary on match-fixing which ultimately questioned his maiden Test century.
The documentary was recently aired which highlighted the glimpses from the India vs Australia Test match, played in Ranchi n 2017. As claimed by a criminal, two unnamed Australian batsmen were paid off to bat slowly during the match following a phone call from the ground in Ranchi.
Though the film didn’t name any particular player, the blurred footage indicated it was Maxwell on the screen as his kit made him identifiable.
After watching this documentary, Maxwell stated that he was shocked, and a bit hurt by it.
“To have these allegations about your involvement in a game where you've only got happy memories about it, great memories. I still remember the feeling after hugging Steve Smith after getting my maiden Test hundred,” Maxwell was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
“It was 100 per cent unfair, to tarnish one of best moments of my career was pretty brutal. The only thing they could have done worse was tarnish that World Cup win (in 2015). They're two of the best moments of my career,” added Maxwell.
On the other hand, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia chief executive said there was no credible evidence which could prove the connection of Australian players to corruption.
As Maxwell stated, he was pre-informed about the airing of the documentary. It was decided as well that if any names are taken, a heavy action will be taken from the board.
The documentary also claimed the pitch for the 2016 Galle Test between Sri Lanka and Australia was doctored. In that Test, 18 Australian wickets fell to spin bowling as the tourists failed to bat more than 85 overs across both innings.