Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, November 3, after his hopes of a farewell match at home were dashed by Australia’s focus on youth in its short-format selections.
Maxwell, 38, said he will also stop playing domestic 50-over and four-day cricket for Victoria, giving up red-ball cricket completely. He made the announcement on The Final Word podcast, in an episode released Tuesday.
He said it was time to spend more time investing in his body, so he can get through the remaining tournaments in his career.
Maxwell had hoped for a send-off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), his home ground, in this month’s series against England. Those hopes ended when Australia’s squad for the series was announced Monday, November 2. He said there had been a small hope or discussion that he might get a farewell game at the MCG, but he fully understood the direction the selectors were taking with the squad.
Maxwell retired from one-day internationals last year. He last played for Australia against Oman at the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in February.
He played 149 one-day internationals, 130 Twenty20 internationals and seven Tests. He scored 3,990 runs in ODIs and 2,897 in T20 internationals. He also took 128 wickets for Australia in the two short formats with his off-spin.
Nicknamed “The Big Show” for his rapid scoring and unconventional shot selection, Maxwell helped Australia win the 50-over World Cup in 2015 and 2023 and the T20 World Cup in 2021. Along with India’s Rohit Sharma, he is one of only two players to score five international centuries in T20 cricket.