Glenn Maxwell retires from international cricket, Mumbai epic his legacy
The Australian all-rounder has ended his international career, with a remarkable unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup standing as his defining performance.
Glenn Maxwell has retired from international cricket, bringing to a close a career built on some of the most destructive white-ball innings the game has seen, according to Guardian Cricket.
The 38-year-old had already stepped away from one-day internationals in 2025 and has now also retired from Twenty20 internationals, Yahoo Sports reported, with the announcement made on the Final Word Cricket Podcast on Monday night.
Maxwell will not get the send-off he had hoped for. Guardian Cricket reported he was overlooked for Australia's T20 squad to face England this month before confirming his retirement from the international game.
Speaking on the podcast, Maxwell said there had been no pressure from Australia's team management to make a decision, describing the situation as open-ended. "There wasn't any pressure from that side (Australia team management), and we decided to sort of leave the door open," he said, adding that selectors had been looking to the future, pointing to younger players getting chances in Bangladesh.
He acknowledged a personal hope that had gone unfulfilled. "I suppose, a small hope or discussion that I might have been able to potentially get a send-off game at the MCG," Maxwell said, while adding that he understood the direction the squad was heading. He pointed to the changes expected over the next one to two years with the 2028 Olympics approaching and the need to expose emerging players to international pressure.
Maxwell leaves international cricket as a three-time World Cup winner, but Guardian Cricket's assessment is that his legacy carries a sense of unfulfilled talent despite a catalogue of match-defining knocks.
No innings will be remembered more than his unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup in Mumbai. Australia had slumped to 91 for seven chasing 292 in a must-win fixture, teetering on the edge of a first-round exit, before Maxwell found an ally in captain Pat Cummins.
Maxwell battled severe cramp that left him barely able to walk, at one stage collapsing on the pitch with ten overs still to be bowled and needing fluids and treatment before he could continue. He finished unbeaten on 201 from 128 balls, striking 21 fours and ten sixes, to drag Australia into the semi-finals of the tournament.
Another innings frequently cited among his best came far earlier in his career, in a Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in September 2016. Drafted in to open the batting for the first time after Aaron Finch's injury, Maxwell made himself instantly at home, opening his account with a reverse sweep for six.
He went on to clear the rope eight times in total and struck 14 boundaries in a 65-ball innings, reaching his half-century off 27 deliveries before accelerating further, part of a run of innings that Guardian Cricket's retrospective singles out as evidence of his unconventional, 360-degree game.
Maxwell's international career is now over, but his playing days are not. Yahoo Sports reported he is expected to continue in franchise Twenty20 cricket, including a stint with the Melbourne Stars in the upcoming Big Bash League 2026/27 season.