Australia all rounder Glenn James Maxwell retired from international cricket on 2 November 2026, closing a 14 year career that began in August 2012. The 38 year old had quit One Day Internationals in June 2025 and has now also stepped away from Twenty20 Internationals, first class and List A cricket. He finishes as a three time World Cup winner and one of the most destructive white ball batters in the history of the game.
Is Glenn Maxwell Retired From International Cricket?
Glenn Maxwell is fully retired from international cricket. Australia confirmed his Twenty20 International retirement on 2 November 2026, after his One Day International retirement on 2 June 2025. His last match for Australia was the Twenty20 against Oman on 20 February 2026.
Maxwell announced the decision on the Final Word podcast. He said Australia had left the door open after the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, but the team wanted to test young players. Australia played only three Twenty20 Internationals after that World Cup, on a tour of Bangladesh, without him.
The retirement is wider than Australia duty. Maxwell has also retired from first class cricket and List A cricket for Victoria. First class means multi day matches like the Sheffield Shield. List A means domestic one day matches.
He will keep playing franchise Twenty20 cricket. Maxwell remains contracted to the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League (BBL) until the end of the 2027-28 season. He said he considered pushing for a farewell Twenty20 against England in Melbourne in late November 2026, but chose knee treatment and an eight week rehab block to stay fit for the Big Bash.
Why Glenn Maxwell Retired From ODI and T20I Formats
Glenn Maxwell said his body could no longer cope with the demands of 50 over cricket. He pointed to the leg break he suffered in 2022 and the soreness he felt after matches at the Champions Trophy in early 2025. He felt he was letting the team down in the field and between wickets.
When Maxwell quit One Day Internationals, he told chair of selectors George Bailey that he would not last until the 2027 ODI World Cup. He wanted Australia to give his middle order role to a younger player with a long lead in time. He said he did not want to hold on for selfish reasons if he was not fully fit.
The same logic shaped the Twenty20 call. At 38, Maxwell was the oldest player in the Australia squad at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where the team went out in the group stage. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where cricket returns in the T20 format, on the horizon, Australia has started rebuilding with new faces.
Bailey described Maxwell as one of the most dynamic one day players Australia has produced. He praised his natural talent, energy in the field and underrated off spin. Cricket Australia said his power hitting had drawn crowds and inspired young batters.
Glenn Maxwell Career Stats Across Formats
Glenn James Maxwell was born on 14 October 1988 in Kew, Victoria. He is a right handed batting all rounder who bowls right arm off spin and is known as the Big Show. He wore shirt number 32 for Australia.
Maxwell played international cricket from 2012 to 2026. He made his ODI debut on 25 August 2012 against Afghanistan, his T20I debut on 5 September 2012 against Pakistan and his Test debut on 2 March 2013 against India. He played his last Test on 4 September 2017 against Bangladesh, his last ODI on 4 March 2025 against India and his last T20I on 20 February 2026 against Oman.
In total, Maxwell played 286 internationals and scored 7,226 runs with 136 wickets and 10 centuries. His 130 T20I caps are the most by any Australia player.
| Format | Matches | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s and 50s | Wickets | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 7 | 339 | 104 | 26.07 | 59.47 | 1 and 0 | 8 | 4 for 127 |
| ODI | 149 | 3,990 | 201 not out | 33.81 | 126.71 | 4 and 23 | 77 | 4 for 40 |
| T20I | 130 | 2,897 | 145 not out | 28.97 | 154.42 | 5 and 12 | 51 | 3 for 10 |
Three numbers explain his style. His ODI strike rate of 126.71 is among the highest in history for players with more than 1,000 runs. His T20I strike rate of 154.42 shows why he batted in the middle order as a finisher. He also took 91 catches in ODIs and 62 catches in T20Is, and was rated among the best fielders of his era.
In Tests, all seven matches came in Asia. His only century, 104 against India in Ranchi in March 2017, made him only the second Australia man at that time to score centuries in all three international formats.
The 201 Not Out Against Afghanistan and Other Records
Maxwell highest score in ODI cricket was 201 not out against Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 7 November 2023. Australia were chasing 292 and had slipped to 91 for 7. Maxwell, struggling with cramps in his legs and back, added an unbeaten 202 runs with captain Pat Cummins, who made 12 not out, and won the match with 19 balls left.
The innings set several records. It was the first double century by an Australia man in ODIs, the first double century in a run chase, and the first by a non opener. It included 21 fours and 10 sixes from 128 balls. Many observers rate it among the greatest ODI innings ever played.
Two weeks earlier in the same 2023 ODI World Cup, Maxwell had scored the fastest World Cup century. He reached 100 in 40 balls against the Netherlands in Delhi, finishing with 106 from 44 balls. In 2015, his 102 from 51 balls against Sri Lanka in Sydney had been the fastest ODI century by an Australia player at that time.
In T20Is, Maxwell shares the world record of five centuries with India batter Rohit Sharma. His scores were 145 not out against Sri Lanka in 2016, 103 not out against England in 2018, 113 not out against India in 2019, 104 not out against India in 2023 and 120 not out against West Indies in 2024. His highest T20I score remains that 145 not out in Pallekele.
Three World Cup Wins and Last Matches for Australia
Maxwell is a three time world champion. He was part of the Australia squads that won the 2015 ODI World Cup at home, the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. In 2015, he scored 324 runs at an average of 64.80. In 2023, he scored 400 runs at a strike rate near 150 and took six wickets at an economy rate under five runs per over.
His final phase was mixed. His last ODI innings of note before retirement was the Champions Trophy semi final against India on 4 March 2025, which Australia lost. His last T20I on 20 February 2026 against Oman was a quiet end. He took two wickets for 13 runs in three overs and did not bat, as Australia closed a poor World Cup campaign.
For Victoria, Maxwell played from the 2010-11 season to the 2025-26 season. He did not play first class cricket after 2023. He said saying goodbye to his state teammates after his last domestic one day game was harder than he expected.
What Comes Next for Glenn Maxwell in Franchise Cricket
Maxwell will stay visible in league cricket. His home remains the Melbourne Stars, the team he joined in 2012-13 after one season with the Melbourne Renegades. In January 2022, he smashed 154 not out from 64 balls against Hobart Hurricanes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is still the highest individual score in Big Bash history.
He is also a long term Indian Premier League player. Maxwell has played 141 IPL matches for Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, scoring 2,819 runs at a strike rate above 155. He was part of the Mumbai squad that won the title in 2013, starred for Punjab with 552 runs in 2014, and scored 513 runs for Bengaluru in 2021. He last played for Punjab Kings in 2025.
Maxwell has also played in England for Hampshire, Surrey, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire, and in the United States for Washington Freedom. He led Belfast Wolves to the final of the European T20 Premier League in September 2026. With his Australia chapter closed, these leagues and the Big Bash will define the last part of his playing career.
Key Takeaways
- Glenn Maxwell retired from T20Is on 2 November 2026 after retiring from ODIs on 2 June 2025, ending full international cricket.
- Maxwell played 286 internationals for Australia, with 7,226 runs, 136 wickets and 10 centuries across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
- His highest ODI score of 201 not out against Afghanistan in Mumbai in 2023 is the only Australia men’s ODI double century.
- Maxwell shares the world record of five T20I centuries with Rohit Sharma and played a record 130 T20Is for Australia.
- Maxwell won the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and the 2021 T20 World Cup and continues with Melbourne Stars till 2027-28.
