Australia’s legendary white-ball player Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from international cricket following a snub from the George Bailey-led selection committee in T20Is against England. Maxwell, a two-time ODI World Cup winner and part of Australia’s only T20 World Cup title win, was hoping that he would get a farewell T20I at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the T20I series opener against England. But he understands that the selectors want to begin their preparation for the future, keeping the LA Olympics 2028 and the T20 World Cup 2028 in mind.
"I suppose, a small hope or discussion that I might have been able to potentially get a send-off game at the MCG. But I can completely understand the direction they're going with this squad. There's going to be a lot of change, I suppose, over the next 12 to 24 months with the Olympics coming up [in 2028], and they've got to make sure that they get their eyeballs on a few young guys coming through and making sure that they're getting exposed to international pressure that you probably can't always get from a BBL fixture, Maxwell said on the Final Word podcast.
ALSO READ: PBKS dismiss rumours of trading Jansen to CSK, 5-time IPL champions may release Rs 14.20 cr players
Maxwell’s previous T20I appearance was in a dead rubber T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match against Oman in February 2026. After the early exit, Maxwell had discussions with the Australian team management. He revealed that the door was kept ajar for him, but eventually they moved on from him.
"We probably had numerous discussions before and after the T20 World Cup. And it was pretty open-ended. There wasn't any pressure from that side [Australia team management], and we decided to sort of leave the door open. There was a couple of series that were coming up; they were going to look to the future, and we saw that in Bangladesh with guys getting their opportunity and performing really well," the 38-year-old said.
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli set to break Ricky Ponting's all-time ODI record vs New Zealand
Maxwell has been active in playing T20 franchise cricket since T20 World Cup 2026. He played for Belfast Wolves in the inaugural edition of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL). Maxwell-led Wolves reached the final where they lost to Mitchell Santner's Edinburgh Castle Rockers.
The 38-year-old has also retired from first-class and List A cricket. He played two List A games for Victoria in Australia's ongoing One-Day domestic cup. His last appearance was against South Australia on October 12. He got emotional in the dressing room while announcing the news to his Victorian teammates.
Maxwell getting ready for BBL
Maxwell also revealed that he was ready rues not getting a T20I farewell but he decided to get an injection on his knee, start his rehabilitation and get ready for the upcoming season for the Big Bash League (BBL).
"The option was there, but I was sort of ready to push the button on getting an injection on my knee to make sure I was ready for the BBL. So there was sort of a positive either way. And as soon as that door was shut, I was able to start to put some time back into my body. Eight weeks of solid rehab again to make sure I'm strong and ready for the BBL coming up. So probably just the small fairy tale that you sort of see these your heroes and idols sort of go through. You start to sort of let your mind drift towards that, and probably no other format I probably would have asked for it, except for this one, where I feel like it's been it's almost felt like home over the last 15 years," the hard-hitting batter said.
Maxwell’s T20I numbers
Maxwell had retired from ODIs last year after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal exit. In the T20I format, he retires as Australia’s third-highest run-scorer. From 130 games, he scored 2,897 runs from 118 T20Is at an average of nearly 29. His strike rate was an impressive 155.42. He scored five centuries, joint-most in T20Is alongside India's former T20I captain Rohit Sharma. He scored 12 fifties as well. He was handy with his off-spin as well, taking 51 wickets at an average of 29.70. He also holds the record for most T20I sixes for Australia. He retires with 150 sixes.
When will Maxwell be in action again?
Melbourne Stars begin their campaign against Adelaide Strikers at the MCG on December 18. The game will be played at the MCG, where he wanted his T20I farewell game.
He is currently the third-highest run-scorer in BBL history. He needs just eight more runs to go past former Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques, who holds second place with 3,324 runs from 154 games. From 129 games, he has scored 3,317 runs from 121 innings at an average of 34.19 and a strike rate of 154.35. He has two BBL tons and 21 fifties. The top spot is occupied by Chris Lynn with 4,133 runs from 137 games.
Maxwell’s ODI and Test numbers
Maxwell played 149 ODIs and scored 3,990 runs at an average of 33.81. His strike rate is an astounding 126.70. He has four tons and 23 fifties in the format. His unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup was the first ODI double ton in a run chase. He battled cramps in the heat and humidity of the Wankhede Stadium and pulled off a run chase that will be remembered for ages. He has taken 77 wickets, including four four-wicket hauls.
His Test career was short-lived. He played just seven Tests and managed to score 339 runs from 14 innings at an average of just over 26. He managed a solitary ton in the Test format.
Maxwell to go past Finch
Maxwell is the third-highest Australian run-scorer in T20s (domestic T20s, T20Is, and franchise T20 cricket). He needs 90 more runs to surpass Australia's T20 World Cup 2021-winning captain Aaron Finch. While David Warner is at the top with 14,300 runs, Finch retired with 11,458 runs, followed by Maxwell's 11,369 runs.
Maxwell’s has a one-year contract with Melbourne Stars currently. It is not clear whether he will turn up for Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Hyderabad Kingsmen for another season. He had withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction after being released by Punjab Kings (PBKS).