Glenn Maxwell announced his retirement from international cricket on 3 November 2026. The 38-year-old ends a 14-year Australia career with three World Cup titles and a reputation as one of the game’s great entertainers.
Updated: 4 November 2026, 10:30 IST
Quick Read
- Maxwell announced his retirement on The Final Word podcast on 3 November 2026, aged 38.
- He played 149 ODIs, 130 T20Is and 7 Tests for Australia over 14 years.
- He had already quit ODIs in June 2025; his last Australia game was against Oman at the T20 World Cup in February 2026.
Glenn Maxwell has retired from international cricket. The 38-year-old Australian announced the decision on The Final Word podcast, in an episode released on 3 November 2026. Reuters and ESPNcricinfo both reported the announcement the same day.
“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 on the podcast. Red-ball cricket means the long format, played with a red ball over multiple days — Tests and first-class games.
Why now
Maxwell was left out of Australia’s squad for the T20 series against England, announced on 2 November 2026. He had hoped for one farewell game at his home ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). That hope ended with the squad announcement.
He said there was no pressure from team management. He said the team needs to look at young players, with the 2028 Olympics coming up. Cricket will be part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, so Australia wants young players to get used to big-match pressure early.
Maxwell had already retired from one-day internationals (ODIs) in June 2025, after the Champions Trophy. He kept playing T20 internationals after that. But he has not played for Australia since February 2026.
His last game
Maxwell’s final Australia match was against Oman at the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in February 2026. Australia did not get past the group stage of that tournament. Against Oman, Maxwell took two wickets with the ball and did not get a chance to bat. That’s how a 14-year career ended — quietly, not with a farewell crowd.
He was also left out of the squad for the series against Bangladesh in June 2026. So the writing had been on the wall for months.
Also read: India-New Zealand 5th T20I result | Democrats win US House in 2026 midterm wave
The numbers
Maxwell played 149 ODIs, 130 T20Is and 7 Tests. He scored 3,990 runs in ODIs and 2,897 runs in T20Is. His T20I strike rate was 154.42, Reuters reported. Strike rate means runs scored per 100 balls — 154.42 is very fast. It makes him Australia’s third-highest T20I run-scorer, behind David Warner and Aaron Finch.
He won three World Cups with Australia: the ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2023, and the T20 World Cup in 2021. His last Test was in 2017, against India.
Fans called him “The Big Show.” The name fits. He played shots other batters would not try — reverse sweeps, switch hits, scoops over the keeper. He could also bowl useful off-spin and field brilliantly. He was the kind of player crowds came to watch, even when Australia was losing.
What it means for Australia
Australia loses its most inventive middle-order batter in T20 cricket. The timing is not a shock. Selectors had already moved toward youth in the short formats. Maxwell himself said change was coming “over the next 12 to 24 months.”
For the T20 team, the gap is a finisher — a batter who can score fast in the last few overs. Young players will now fight for that role against England and in the build-up to the 2028 Olympics. For ODI cricket, nothing changes on the field: Maxwell had already left that format in 2025.
Maxwell will keep playing franchise T20 cricket, including the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia. Note: reports differ on which BBL club — Dawn and Khaleej Times say Melbourne Renegades, while ESPNcricinfo says Melbourne Stars with a contract to 2027-28. This post does not pick one, since the sources conflict.
Own calculation: 149 ODIs + 130 T20Is + 7 Tests = 286 international matches; ODI + T20I runs = 6,887. His T20I runs alone (2,897) are about 42% of that combined total.
Also read: Gold rate today, November 3: Delhi, Mumbai
FAQ
Q1 When did Glenn Maxwell announce his retirement? On 3 November 2026, on The Final Word podcast. He retired from all international cricket and from Victoria’s first-class and one-day domestic teams.
Q2 What were Maxwell’s career numbers for Australia? 149 ODIs, 130 T20Is and 7 Tests. He scored 3,990 ODI runs and 2,897 T20I runs, and won the 2015 and 2023 ODI World Cups and the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Q3 Will Maxwell keep playing cricket? Yes, franchise T20 cricket, including Australia’s Big Bash League. Reports differ on his BBL club (Renegades vs Stars), so that detail is left unconfirmed here.
