Glenn Maxwell retires from international cricket at 38: records, 201* and what's next

Glenn Maxwell has retired from international cricket. The 38-year-old Australian all-rounder announced on Monday, 2 November, that his 14-year international career is over, and by Tuesday “Maxwell cricketer retirement” was among the top searches in Pakistan.

He is also stepping away from first-class and List A cricket, but he is not done with the game: he has extended his Big Bash League contract with the Melbourne Stars until the 2027-28 season.

Why Maxwell retired now

Maxwell explained the decision on the Final Word cricket podcast. He was not picked for Australia’s five-match T20I series against England, and said he had hoped for one last game at the MCG but understood where the selectors were going.

“They’ve got to make sure that they get their eyeballs on a few young guys,” he said, pointing to Australia’s plans for cricket’s return at the 2028 Olympics. He said there was no pressure from the team management and that the door had been left open, and that at his age he needs to spend more time looking after his body to get through the tournaments left in his career.

His last match for Australia was against Oman at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Australia failed to reach the knockouts. He had already quit ODIs in June 2025, playing his final 50-over game in the Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai.

Glenn Maxwell’s career in numbers

• Matches: 7 Tests, 149 ODIs and 130 T20Is
• ODIs: 3,990 runs at a strike rate of 126.7
• T20Is: 2,897 runs at a strike rate of 154.4, and 51 wickets
• Hundreds: 10 international hundreds, including five in T20Is, the joint-most alongside India’s Rohit Sharma
• Wickets: 136 across formats
• Titles: ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2023, and the 2021 T20 World Cup

The 201* nobody forgets

Pakistani fans remember one Maxwell innings above the rest: his unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in Mumbai at the 2023 World Cup. Australia were 91 for 7 chasing 292, Maxwell was cramping so badly he could barely run, and he won it anyway, mostly standing still and hitting boundaries. The ICC singled it out as proof of his quality and character; many still rate it the greatest ODI innings ever played. Weeks later he hit the winning runs in the final in Ahmedabad.

Maxwell and Pakistan

Maxwell has played often against Pakistan, and his reverse sweeps and switch-hits made him a regular in highlight reels watched here. Pakistan fans will next see him in the Big Bash, where he still turns out for the Stars.

Australia’s upcoming five-match T20I series against England will be the first in more than a decade where Maxwell is no longer an option.