BREAKING: Aussie World Cup hero calls time on illustrious international career

Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from international cricket, but will continue to play in the Big Bash.

On Monday, the 38-year-old was not named in Australia’s T20 squad to face England later this month and then revealed on the Final Word podcast that after 286 appearance of Australia, his time in the international arena is done.

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Maxwell retired from ODI cricket last year, but his final outing in Australian colours came in the final group game of the nation’s unsuccessful T20 campaign in Sri Lanka in February.

He picked up two wickets against Oman in that game, but did not get a bat as Australia romped to a nine-wicket win.

Australia has three T20s since on a tour of Bangladesh in June, although Maxwell was in America playing Major Cricket League instead.

“We probably had numerous discussions before and after the T20 World Cup,” Maxwell said on the Final Word podcast.

“And it was it was pretty open ended. There wasn’t any pressure from that side [Australia team management], and we decided to sort of leave the door open. There was a couple of series that were coming up; they were going to look to the future, and we saw that in Bangladesh with guys getting their opportunity and performing really well.”

Glenn Maxwell of Australia looks on during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Pallekele Cricket Stadium on February 16, 2026 in Kandy, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The Victorian had hoped for a fairytale farewell on his home ground - where he won an ODI World Cup in 2015 - against England on November 21, but it was not to be.

“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,” he said.

“There’s going to be a lot of change, I suppose, over the next 12 to 24 months with the Olympics coming up [in 2028], and they’ve got to make sure that they get their eyeballs on a few young guys coming through and making sure that they’re getting exposed to international pressure that you probably can’t always get from a BBL fixture.”

Maxwell scored 7226 runs across all formats for Australia, with 10 centuries, including at least one in each format. He made his lone Test ton against India in 2017, having played seven matches in the baggy green.

He was a dual ODI World Cup winner, lifting the trophy with Australia in 2015 and 2023, and he also took 136 international wickets.

He played two one-day games for Victoria earlier this season, but has now retired from List A and first-class cricket.

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Australia's Glenn Maxwell celebrates his half century (50-runs) during the third Twenty20 international cricket match between Australia and South Africa in Cairns on August 16, 2025. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP)Source: AFP

He also played in the inaugural European T2o Premier League in September - leading the Belfast Wolves to the final - but revealed his fitness heading into the T20 series against England had been a concern too.

“The option was there, but I was sort of ready to push the button on getting an injection on my knee to make sure I was ready for the BBL,” he said.

“So there was sort of a positive either way. And as soon as that door was shut, I was able to start to put some time back into my body. Eight weeks of solid rehab again to make sure I’m strong and ready for the BBL coming up. So probably just the small fairy tale that you sort of see these your heroes and idols sort of go through.

“You start to sort of let your mind drift towards that, and probably no other format I probably would have asked for it, except for this one, where I feel like it’s been it’s almost felt like home over the last 15 years.”

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While Maxwell also revealed that he found telling state teammates that he was finished after a game against South Australia at the Junction Oval tougher than expected.

“Post the last one-day game for Victoria, speaking to my teammates and letting them know that that was going to be my last game for the state was probably harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said.

“Knowing that they’ve played such a huge role in my whole career, every time I’ve come back, had great teammates there and a lot of support from the state.

“Yeah, I certainly got a little bit choked up speaking front of the group, but yeah, it’s probably a time where I probably need to spend a little bit more time investing in the in the body to make sure I can get through the remaining couple of tournaments I’ve got in my career.”