Explosive Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell has officially retired from international cricket. The 38-year-old made the announcement on Tuesday after selectors left him out of Australia’s upcoming Twenty20 series against England.
Maxwell had already stepped away from one-day internationals last year but had kept the door open for T20 cricket. His last appearance for Australia came against Oman during the T20 World Cup. Since then he was overlooked for the series against Bangladesh in June and again missed selection for the England tour, with younger players preferred.
Speaking on the Final Word podcast, Maxwell said the decision felt both sad and inevitable. He revealed he had held several open discussions with selectors before and after the T20 World Cup. There was never any pressure from the team management to retire, and both sides agreed to leave the possibility of a return open. However, the selectors made it clear they wanted to look toward the future, a direction already visible when younger players performed well against Bangladesh.
Maxwell admitted he had held a small hope of receiving a farewell match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against England, but he fully understood and accepted the direction the squad is taking.
Across his career Maxwell played 130 T20 internationals, scoring 2,897 runs at a blistering strike rate of 154.42. He finishes as Australia’s third-highest T20 run-scorer behind only David Warner and Aaron Finch. In ODIs he amassed 3,990 runs from 149 matches, while his Test career was limited to just seven games.
Although he has also retired from first-class cricket with Victoria, Maxwell will continue playing for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League. Reflecting on his journey, he expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to represent Australia.
“If you had offered me that career when I first walked into the Victoria change rooms in 2009, I would have bitten your hand off,” he said. Maxwell’s retirement marks the end of a dynamic and entertaining chapter in Australian cricket.
