Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from international cricket at 38, ending a 14-year career marked by explosive batting, World Cup triumphs, and unforgettable individual performances. The Victorian will also step away from first-class and List A cricket for his state but remains available for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League, where his contract has been extended through the 2027-28 season.
Maxwell, nicknamed “The Big Show,” had already retired from one-day internationals in June 2025 to focus on T20 cricket. He remained available for the shortest format and featured for Australia at the 2026 T20 World Cup. His final appearance in the green and gold came against Oman in February, where he took 2-13 with his off-spin and did not bat. Australia failed to progress beyond the group stage.
The announcement came on the Final Word podcast after Maxwell was left out of Australia’s T20 squad for the upcoming home series against England. He described the decision as “sad but inevitable,” noting that discussions with team management had been open-ended with no pressure to retire. Selectors are prioritising youth ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
Maxwell expressed one clear regret: the lack of a farewell match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “I suppose, a small hope or discussion that I might have been able to potentially get a send-off game at the MCG,” he said. “But I can completely understand the direction they’re going with this squad. There’s going to be a lot of change over the next 12 to 24 months… they’ve got to make sure that they get their eyeballs on a few young guys coming through.” He had considered pushing through for the England series but chose to prioritise knee rehabilitation to be ready for the BBL.
Across 286 international matches (7 Tests, 149 ODIs and 130 T20Is), Maxwell scored 7,226 runs and took 136 wickets. He is one of only five Australian men to score a century in all three formats and jointly holds the record for the most T20I centuries (five), shared with India’s Rohit Sharma.
His white-ball record defined him. In ODIs, he amassed 3,990 runs at a strike rate of 126.70, among the highest in history for players with substantial volume (including four centuries). In T20Is, he scored 2,897 runs at a strike rate of 154.42. He won two ODI World Cups (2015 and 2023) and struck the winning runs in Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup final.
Two performances from the 2023 ODI World Cup in India stand out as career-defining. Against the Netherlands, he hit the fastest World Cup century, off just 40 balls. Weeks later, against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium, he produced one of the greatest ODI innings ever: an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls while suffering severe cramps, rescuing Australia from 91-7 to chase down 292. The innings kept Australia’s campaign alive and remains a model for match-winning personal brilliance under physical adversity.
Maxwell’s international chapter ends without the fairytale MCG send-off he hoped for, but he leaves having repaid the faith shown in him early in his career. He will now focus on managing his body for remaining T20 commitments with the Melbourne Stars and other franchise sides.
