Glenn Maxwell has retired from international cricket. The 38 year old Australian all-rounder announced that he is also leaving first-class and List A cricket, bringing the end to one of the most entertaining careers of his generation. He will not disappear from the game completely, though. Maxwell has extended his contract with the Melbourne Stars until the 2027-28 season, so fans can still watch him in the Big Bash League.
His last international match came quietly. Australia's final game at the 2026 T20 World Cup was against Oman in February, and Maxwell took two wickets without getting a chance to bat. Australia had already failed to move past the group stage, so nobody realised that it would turn out to be his farewell for his country. He had already stopped playing ODIs in June last year, but kept himself available for T20Is.
Speaking on the Final Word podcast, Maxwell said the decision came after many open conversations with the team management before and after the World Cup. There was no pressure from Australia's side, he explained, and the door was left open for a while. Then the selectors started to look to the future, and he saw the young players get their chances in Bangladesh and do well. That, he said, made the picture clearer for him.
He admitted that part of him had hoped for a send-off match at the MCG, his home ground. At the same time, he understood where Australia are heading. The squad is going to change a lot over the next one to two years, with the 2028 Olympics approaching, and the team wants to give young players a taste of the pressure of international cricket, which is hard to find in a BBL game.
England are about to visit Australia for a white-ball series that includes a T20I in Melbourne, and Maxwell was tempted by the idea of getting fit for it. But he was also close to taking an injection in his knee to prepare for the BBL, and once the international door closed, he could focus on his body instead. He is now doing eight weeks of rehabilitation so that he is strong for the Stars.
There was an emotional side to the decision as well. After his last one day game for Victoria, he had to tell his team-mates that it would be his final match for the state, and he said it was harder than he expected. He felt a little choked up in front of the group and said Victoria had played a huge part in his career, with great team-mates and constant support each time he came back. The break from long-form and one-day cricket will give him more time to look after his body for the few tournaments he still wants to play.
Maxwell has stayed busy on the franchise circuit. In September, he captained Belfast Wolves to the final of the first European T20 Premier League, and only five days later, he played two matches for Victoria in the One-Day Cup.
His record in the shortest format is hard to ignore. He played 130 T20Is for Australia and scored 2,897 runs at a strike rate of 154.42, and he also took 51 wickets. He hit five centuries in the format, a world record that he shares with Rohit Sharma. In Tests, he played seven matches, the last of them in 2017, scoring 339 runs with a best of 104 against India in Ranchi.
More than the numbers, Maxwell will be remembered for big moments. He won two ODI World Cups and one T20 World Cup, and he hit the winning runs when Australia became T20 world champions in 2021. Many fans will also remember his remarkable innings against Afghanistan in Mumbai during the 2023 ODI World Cup, when he carried Australia to a win almost on one leg.
He described the BBL as the place that has felt like home for the last 15 years, and he will be back there soon. Australian cricket will miss his creative shots, his sharp fielding and his ability to turn a game in a few overs, but the Stars supporters can look forward to a few more seasons of that same energy.
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