Glenn Maxwell retires from international cricket after 286 games for Australia, three World Cups and five T20I hundreds
Glenn Maxwell, 38, has quit T20 internationals, ending an Australia career of 286 matches and three world titles. He will keep playing for the Melbourne Stars.
At a glance
- Glenn Maxwell, 38, has retired from T20 internationals, his last format for Australia; he left ODIs in June 2025.
- He finishes with 286 internationals (7 Tests, 149 ODIs, 130 T20Is), more than 7,000 runs and 136 wickets.
- In T20Is he scored 2,897 runs at a strike rate of 154.42, with five hundreds, a joint world record with Rohit Sharma.
- He won the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and hit the winning runs in the 2021 T20 World Cup final. He will keep playing for the Melbourne Stars in the BBL.
Glenn Maxwell has retired from international cricket, ending a 14-year Australia career that brought three World Cup titles and some of the most outrageous hitting the game has seen. The 38-year-old had already given up one-day internationals in June 2025, so the decision closes his T20 international career, the last format he played for his country.
He will carry on in franchise cricket, starting with the Melbourne Stars in the coming Big Bash League season.
No farewell at the MCG
Maxwell said he had hoped for one last match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Australia play England in a home T20 series later this month. He had thought about trying to prepare for it, but accepted that the selectors were moving on.
He said he could "completely understand" the direction the T20 squad was taking, with a lot of change likely before cricket's return to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, and young players needing chances. He added that he was grateful to have played so long for Australia.
His final game for Australia was at the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, against Oman. He took 2 for 13 in three overs of off-spin and was not needed with the bat.
Maxwell's Australia career in numbers
| Format | Matches | Key figures |
|---|---|---|
| Tests | 7 | A hundred in the longest format |
| ODIs | 149 | 201* v Afghanistan (2023); 40-ball World Cup hundred v Netherlands (2023) |
| T20Is | 130 | 2,897 runs, strike rate 154.42, 5 hundreds, 51 wickets, 62 catches |
| Total | 286 | 7,000+ runs, 136 wickets |
His five T20I hundreds equal the world record he shares with India's Rohit Sharma. He is one of only five Australian men with a century in all three international formats, alongside Shane Watson, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis.
The Mumbai double hundred
The innings people will remember came at the 2023 World Cup in Mumbai. Australia were 91 for 7 chasing 292 against Afghanistan. Maxwell, barely able to run after cramps took hold, made 201 not out from 128 balls and won the game almost alone, standing at the crease and swinging. Australia went on to win the tournament.
That same World Cup he hit a 40-ball century against the Netherlands, still the fastest in World Cup history.
Three world titles
- 2015 ODI World Cup — won at home, with Maxwell a regular in the side.
- 2021 T20 World Cup — he hit the winning runs in the final against New Zealand in Dubai.
- 2023 ODI World Cup — won in India, where his Mumbai double hundred carried Australia into the semi-finals.
He was also a useful part-time spinner who often bowled in the powerplay, and one of the best fielders of his era.
What comes next
Maxwell will remain a familiar face in franchise leagues. His first stop is the Big Bash League with the Melbourne Stars. Reports differ on whether he is also finished with state cricket for Victoria; he has played little first-class cricket in recent seasons.
For fans in South Asia, where his IPL years and World Cup innings in Mumbai made him a big name, the retirement means he will no longer face India or Pakistan in Australian colours. Australia's next T20 assignment is the home series against England later in November.
