Glenn Maxwell, 38, retires from international cricket after 286 matches; will keep playing franchise T20

The innings people will remember

He was part of Australia's squads that won the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and the 2021 T20 World Cup. At the 2015 World Cup he scored 324 runs at a strike rate of 182.02. In 2023 he scored the fastest century in World Cup history, off 40 balls against the Netherlands in Delhi. His best-known innings came in Mumbai the same year, when Australia were 91 for 7 chasing 292 against Afghanistan. Maxwell scored an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls, with 21 fours and 10 sixes, while battling severe cramps, and shared an unbroken stand of 202 with Pat Cummins, who made 12 not out, to win by three wickets and reach the semi-finals. Cummins called it the greatest ODI innings, and many cricket followers agree.

How the exit unfolded

Maxwell announced his ODI retirement in June 2025, after Australia lost the Champions Trophy semi-final to India. He said he felt he was letting the team down a little bit, and Cricket Australia said he was retiring from one-day cricket to focus on Australia's campaign to win the T20 World Cup. He kept himself available for T20 internationals until now. His last match for Australia was a group-stage game against Oman at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Australia failed to reach the knockout stage. He said there was no pressure from team management and that the two sides had decided to leave the door open, and that he could completely understand the direction the selectors were taking with the squad for the coming series against England. He had hoped for a farewell game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but did not get one. His highest T20I score is 145 not out. Its chief executive, Todd Greenberg, called him one of the most exciting and influential players in ODI history. He stayed available for T20 internationals, and the latest decision ends that chapter. One report says he has also retired from first-class cricket, which the other reports do not mention, and another says he has extended his Big Bash contract with the Melbourne Stars to the 2027-28 season.

In all T20 cricket Maxwell has played 530 matches and scored 11,369 runs at a strike rate of 154.30, with eight centuries, 61 fifties and 214 wickets, and a highest score of 154 not out. In the Indian Premier League he played 141 matches for four teams and scored 2,819 runs at a strike rate of 155.14 and took 41 wickets. In the Big Bash he has 129 appearances, 3,317 runs and 47 wickets. He has also played in Major League Cricket, where he scored 444 runs, the European T10 Premier League, 245 runs, the Vitality Blast, 1,230 runs, and in the Pakistan Super League and The Hundred.

For Australia, Maxwell's exit removes a middle-order finisher who could also bowl off-spin in a format where all-rounders are scarce. His record of 130 T20 internationals is the most by any Australian, and his five T20I centuries match the world record. His nickname, 'The Big Show', reflected a style built on reverse sweeps, switch hits and the ability to change a match in a few overs, which is why his highlights are shared far beyond Australia.

The reports found do not name his replacement, and they describe the selectors' preference for younger players for the series against England. For Maxwell, who can still play the Big Bash and franchise leagues around the world, the decision removes the travel and workload of international cricket. As one report put it, few players have filled grounds, or inspired young batters, the way he did.