John Hastings believes it was “only a matter of time” before Glenn Maxwell took a break for mental health reasons, having witnessed the “absolute abuse” the Australian star has copped on social media over the course of his career.

Hastings and Maxwell shared a dressing room for Australia, Victoria and the Melbourne Stars and the former all-rounder recalled the reception Maxwell got on social media after leaving a ball onto his stumps in the BBL in 2014.

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Maxwell unleashes carnage 1:43

“Over the years it’s been extraordinary to see just how much grief Glenn actually cops on social media,” Hastings said on RSN. “That’s one of the things with athletes now, it’s just so accessible to be able to have a pot shot.

“It was just absolute abuse that he copped,” Hastings said of the 2014 incident as an example. “I was just like ‘mate, you’ve got to get off social media, you’ve got to stop worrying about this sort of stuff’.

“I was shocked but this kind of thing was only a matter of time before it was going to happen. He takes things very personally and it’s a real shame that this has happened”

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Hastings copped his fair share of social media abuse in his time as Stars captain, but said what Maxwell suffers is at a different level given his following.

He echoed the words of Australia coach Justin Langer and Brisbane Heat star Chris Lynn in praising Maxwell for stepping away from the game to take care of his mental health.

“For me it was definitely a bit of a shock but he’s brave enough to stick his hand up and say he needs a bit of time away to try and get these issues sorted,” Hastings said.