Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has expressed his disappointment and said he was 'hurt' and 'shocked' over the spot-fixing allegations made in the Al Jazeera sting operation during Australia's Test match against India in Ranchi in 2017.
An Al Jazeera documentary on corruption in cricket alleged that Australian players were involved in spot-fixing during the 2017 Ranchi Test against India, in which Maxwell made his maiden Test century after being recalled.
Even as there was no direct reference to the all-rounder in the video, the match footage used in the documentary indicated that Maxwell was one of two Australian players being accused.
Maxwell has confirmed to 'SEN radio' that the aired footage was of his batting.
"I was shocked. I was a bit hurt by it as well," Maxwell told 'SEN Radio'. "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," he said.
"To have that tarnished by these allegations was pretty devastating and obviously there's absolutely no truth to it whatsoever. It was 100 per cent unfair, to tarnish one of the best moments of my career was pretty brutal. The only thing they could have done worse was tarnish that [2015] World Cup win. They're two of the best moments of my career. To say I’d done anything untoward in that game, when I'd just finally got back in the Test side – I'd worked my absolute backside off – to say I'd do anything to ruin that would be absolutely ridiculous," Maxwell added.
Maxwell also claimed that he has reported "certain untoward things" during the IPL to the anti-corruption officials.
"I've been very honest with them (anti-corruption officers) the whole way through with the IPL," Maxwell said.
"If I've ever seen anything untoward I always sat down with them (ACU), had a long coffee and just talked about everything to make sure nothing ever, ever comes back to me," he said.
An International Cricket Council (ICC) investigation into the allegations is currently underway. However, the ICC has accused Al Jazeera of not sharing the raw footage of the sting despite repeated requests.
"If there's anything slightly amiss, I always give them a call and make sure they have every bit of evidence they can possibly have.
"There's some things you see in the game of cricket where you're always just a little bit unsure. All the things you do hear in the game, and when it comes out later on you go, 'Oh, I swear I could have noticed that while I was watching it'," Maxwell said.
Maxwell said that it was easier when he captained Kings XI Punjab in 2015 IPL.
"It was probably easier when I was captain and I was able to see the way the game was going, and the instructions that I was giving players, and the way the game was moving, I could actually work it out a little better.
"There wasn't really anything untoward in the season I was captain, but you could certainly tell from opposition stuff and that's why I reported certain things," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
