The left-handed batter, who made his international debut in India 12 years ago, opened up about facing the toughest challenge of his life and how he’s now on the road to recovery after months of treatment.
Maddinson opens up about his cancer battle
In May, Maddinson received the devastating diagnosis that his cancer had spread to his abdominal lymph nodes and lungs. Speaking to Nine newspapers, he described the shock and emotional toll of the news:
“Once I found out I had to have chemo, that was pretty hard to deal with. It had spread to parts of my abdominal lymph nodes and lung. That was the point where it got pretty daunting.”
Adding to the emotional weight, Maddinson and his wife Bianca were expecting their second child, Wilder, at the same time. The chemotherapy, which he called the “longest nine weeks” of his life, took a huge physical and mental toll.
“By the second or third week, I lost all my hair,” he said. “I was feeling pretty average. I had to take steroids to manage side effects, but they kept me awake at night. I’d sleep for a few hours and then be awake until morning. I felt super drained and could have slept all day.”
The road to recovery
Despite the challenges, Maddinson fought through the treatment. His chemotherapy ended on July 14, and remarkably, he was back in the nets just 10 days later to slowly rebuild his strength. Two months after completing treatment, he got the news every patient hopes to hear — the cancer was gone.
“Eight weeks after my last chemo round, I got good news. The treatment had worked,” he shared.
Now cancer-free, Maddinson has resumed training with New South Wales and hopes to return to competitive cricket soon — starting with Sydney Premier Cricket and possibly the Second XI. With over 10,000 professional runs to his name, he still dreams of donning the Baggy Green once more.
“I had a really good opportunity last year and just didn’t quite grab it,” he admitted.
A message of awareness
Maddinson ended with a heartfelt message for others, encouraging men to stay alert to the signs of testicular cancer:
“If one person reads this and decides to get checked, I’ll be happy.”
So far, Maddinson has represented Australia in 3 Tests and 6 T20Is, and his story now stands as one of resilience, hope, and inspiration both on and off the field.
