Glenn Maxwell announces retirement from international cricket

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell announced his retirement from international cricket on November 2, 2026, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned 149 ODIs, 130 T20Is and 7 Tests for Australia. The 38-year-old, widely known by his nickname 'The Big Show', also confirmed he would step away from domestic 50-over cricket and all red-ball cricket for Victoria.

The decision marks the end of a long white-ball career built on rapid scoring and unconventional shot selection that made him one of Australia's most distinctive limited-overs batters. Australia's most recent short-format selections had pointed toward a younger direction for the national side, and Maxwell acknowledged that his farewell hopes did not fully materialise. He had harboured a small hope of a send-off appearance at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but accepted the squad's new direction without reservation.

"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. There was, I suppose, a small hope or discussion that I might have been able to potentially get a send-off game at the MCG, but I can completely understand the direction they're going with this squad," Maxwell said on The Final Word Podcast, as quoted by The Independent.

Why did Maxwell choose this moment to retire?

Maxwell is 38 years old and cited the need to manage his body carefully as a key factor behind the timing of his retirement. With franchise T20 tournaments still ahead of him, he indicated that stepping back from international and domestic red-ball commitments would allow him to extend his playing life in those remaining competitions.

"It's probably a time where I probably need to spend a little bit more time investing in the body to make sure I can get through the remaining couple of tournaments I've got in my career," Maxwell said.

Maxwell had already stepped away from ODI cricket in June 2025, so the November 2026 announcement effectively formalised his complete exit from representative cricket across all formats.

What did Maxwell achieve across his international career?

Across his 149 ODIs, Maxwell accumulated 3,990 runs, while his 130 T20I appearances produced 2,897 runs, figures that place him among Australia's most prolific white-ball contributors. His final international appearance came at the T20 World Cup against Oman in early 2026, where the Aussies had a poor outing, being eliminated in the group stages. Maxwell also claimed 128 wickets across his short-format international appearances, underlining his value as a genuine all-rounder rather than a specialist batter.

He is also a three-time World Cup winner, being part of the sides that won the ODI World Cup in 2015 and 2023, and the T20 World Cup in 2021. The 2023 World Cup saw him record multiple individual accolades, including a 40-ball century, the fastest in World Cup history, and an iconic unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan to help the Aussies chase down a total of 293 from 91 for 7. He is also one of five Australian men's batters to record centuries in all three formats of the game, alongside Shane Watson, Mitchell Marsh, David Warner and Josh Inglis.