Sydney: Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing the curtain down on one of the most destructive white-ball careers of the modern era. The 38-year-old revealed the decision on The Final Word podcast on Tuesday, saying it was “a little bit sad and a little bit inevitable too”.
“I’m going to be announcing my retirement from international cricket and domestic games for Victoria in the 50-over and the four-day stuff, red ball completely,” Maxwell said, in remarks carried by multiple outlets. He will, however, continue to play franchise Twenty20 cricket, and remains contracted with the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League until the end of the 2027-28 season.
The timing was shaped by selection, not by a single moment. Maxwell had already retired from one-day internationals in June last year, but kept himself available for Twenty20 internationals and played at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Australia exited in the group stage. His final international appearance came in that tournament, against Oman in February, when he took two wickets but did not get a chance to bat. When Australia named their white-ball squads for the home series against England on Monday, with a clear focus on younger players, Maxwell was again overlooked — ending any hope of a farewell game at his home ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in the T20I against England on November 21.
The numbers tell the story of a player who changed what a middle-order batter could do. Maxwell played seven Tests, 149 one-day internationals and 130 Twenty20 internationals for Australia, scoring 7,226 runs and taking 136 wickets across formats. In ODIs he scored 3,990 runs; in T20Is, 2,897 runs at a strike rate of 154.42, making him Australia’s third-highest run-scorer in the format behind David Warner and Aaron Finch. His five T20I centuries remain a world record he shares with Rohit Sharma.
He was also a three-time World Cup winner, lifting the ODI titles in 2015 and 2023 and the T20 World Cup in 2021, and his unbeaten double century against Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup — made while battling cramp and barely able to move — is already regarded as one of the great one-day innings ever played.
Maxwell said there was no pressure from Australia’s T20 management behind the call, and that he now wants to look after his body so he can finish his career on his own terms in franchise cricket. “It was time to spend more time investing in my body, so I can get through the remaining tournaments in my career,” he said, adding that he had hoped for a fairytale send-off in the Big Bash League rather than chasing a farewell that was no longer on offer.
For Australian cricket, the retirement closes a 14-year international chapter defined by fearless strokeplay, brilliant fielding and an ability to win games from positions where few others even tried. The Big Show, as he was known, leaves the international stage with the game richer for having watched him.
