Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has officially retired from international cricket at age 38, concluding a career defined by explosive batting. The three-time World Cup winner leaves the international stage after being left out of the national Twenty20 squad for the upcoming series against England.
Key Facts
- Glenn Maxwell announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket at age 38.
- The Australian all-rounder scored over 7,000 runs and claimed 136 wickets in 286 international games.
- Maxwell holds the record for the fastest men's 50-over World Cup century, achieved off 40 balls in 2023.
- He scored five Twenty20 international centuries, equal with India's Rohit Sharma for the most in men's T20Is.
Maxwell confirmed that his time representing Australia has come to an end after learning he was omitted from the squad for the upcoming white-ball matches. The middle-order batter had previously stepped away from one-day internationals in June last year before finalizing his decision to end his Twenty20 international career. His final appearance for Australia came against Oman during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, where he took two wickets for 13 runs with his off-spin and was not needed to bat. While he had harbored faint hopes of playing a farewell match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, selectors opted to focus on developing younger talent.
Speaking on The Final Word podcast, Maxwell acknowledged that he understood the selection committee's decision to look toward the future. He noted that Australia needs to expose emerging players to high-pressure international fixtures over the coming two years, particularly with cricket returning to the Olympics in 2028. Despite ending his international career, Sky Sports reported that the veteran will continue playing domestic T20 cricket for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.
Across a career spanning 286 international fixtures, Maxwell amassed over 7,000 runs and claimed 136 wickets while establishing himself as one of the game's most dynamic 360-degree batters. He played 149 one-day internationals, 130 Twenty20 internationals, and seven Test matches for Australia. He remains tied with India star Rohit Sharma for the record for the most T20 international centuries, having scored five hundreds in the format. Additionally, he is one of only five Australian men to record a century in all three formats of international cricket.
Record-Breaking Innings and World Cup Glory
Maxwell's career was highlighted by several remarkable individual performances on the biggest stages. During the 2023 ODI World Cup against Afghanistan in Mumbai, he scored an unbeaten 201 from 128 balls to pull Australia back from a dire position of 91 for seven while chasing 292. Severe full-body cramping left him almost unable to move his feet during the closing stages, yet he struck 21 boundaries and 10 sixes to secure Australia's place in the semi-finals. The knock stood as the second-fastest double century in ODI history at the time, though subsequent double tons by Harry Brook and Shubman Gill have since moved it to fourth.
Earlier in that same 2023 tournament, Maxwell smashed a 40-ball century against the Netherlands in New Delhi, setting the record for the fastest hundred in men's 50-over World Cup history. The Guardian reported that he also holds the record for the fastest ODI century by an Australian player. His penchant for fast scoring was evident throughout his career, including a 51-ball century against Sri Lanka at the 2015 World Cup that helped propel Australia toward the title.
Maxwell was an integral part of three World Cup winning teams for Australia. He featured in the side that won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2015 before adding further silverware in recent years. He struck the winning runs when Australia won the T20 World Cup in 2021 and was again central to their success during the 2023 ODI World Cup triumph in India.
Background
Maxwell first signaled his extraordinary talent as a top-order force in T20 international cricket in September 2016 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Filling in for injured opener Aaron Finch, he hit an unbeaten 145 from 65 balls, hitting nine sixes and 14 fours. That innings helped Australia post a total of 263 for three, which equaled the highest team score in T20 international history at the time.
Although primarily recognized as a white-ball specialist, Maxwell also demonstrated his versatility in Test cricket. In 2017, he scored a gritty maiden Test century against India in Ranchi, showing rare patience by taking 56 deliveries to hit his first boundary before finishing with 104 off 185 balls. He went on to play just seven Tests in total, never making an appearance in a Test match on Australian soil as his red-ball opportunities remained limited.
His final international century came in early 2024 against the West Indies at the Adelaide Oval, where he blazed an unbeaten 120 off 55 deliveries. He reached his fifty in 25 balls before matching that pace to reach his century in 50 deliveries, unleashing switch hits and reverse sweeps. That performance tied the record for the most T20 international hundreds, cementing his standing among the most destructive white-ball batters in modern cricket.
Why It Matters
Maxwell's retirement marks the transition of Australia's white-ball squad toward a new generation of players heading into the 2028 Olympic era. His departure leaves a significant gap in middle-order power and match-winning versatility that national selectors will now need to fill with younger talent.
Representative photo: u_g5kzowan0q / Pixabay