Glenn Maxwell, one of Australia's most impactful white-ball cricketers, has officially retired from One-Day Internationals, drawing the curtain on a 13-year career that featured explosive batting, handy off-spin, and unmatched fielding brilliance.
The 36-year-old made his ODI debut in 2012 and went on to play 149 matches, scoring nearly 4,000 runs. Maxwell had long hinted that the physical demands of the 50-over format were wearing him down, especially following a serious leg injury in 2022. He confirmed his decision during this year’s Champions Trophy in a conversation with selection chief George Bailey.
“I said to him right then and there, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make that’,” Maxwell said on the Final Word podcast, referring to the 2027 ODI World Cup. “I think it’s time to start planning for people in my position, to have a crack at it and try and make that spot their own for the 2027 World Cup. Hopefully they get enough of a lead-in where they can have success in that role.”
Although his finger injury ruled him out of the 2025 Indian Premier League, Maxwell had already made up his mind about retiring from ODIs before that setback. His departure adds to a recent wave of senior Australian exits from the format, following Marcus Stoinis, Steve Smith, and David Warner. That leaves the reigning World Cup champions facing a significant rebuild ahead of the next tournament.
Maxwell, however, will continue playing T20 internationals and has not retired from first-class cricket. He explained that his decision was heavily influenced by how his body responded during the Champions Trophy.
“My decision to retire from one-day international cricket was probably more on the back of the first couple of games in the Champions Trophy,” he said. “I felt like I gave myself a really good opportunity to be fit and ready for those games. The first game in Lahore, we played on a rock-hard outfield. Post that game I was pretty sore.
“We were lucky enough to have a washout against South Africa, where I had a bit more time to have a bit of rest and get myself ready for the next game. The following game against Afghanistan, we fielded for 50 overs on a really, really wet outfield. It was slippery, it was soft, and I just didn’t pull up that well.”
As the tournament wore on, it became clear that the grind of ODIs was taking a toll.
“I started to realise that if I don’t have the perfect conditions in 50-over cricket, my body just struggles to get through that,” Maxwell admitted. “It feels like it’s a tiring affair just to get through – and almost surviving – the 50 overs, let alone being at my best throughout that 50 overs, and then going out there and trying to perform with the bat as well.
“I felt like I was letting the team down a little bit with how my body was reacting to the conditions.”
Maxwell leaves a remarkable statistical legacy. Among batters to score at least 2,000 ODI runs, he finishes with the highest strike-rate in history—126.70.
Only Andre Russell (130.22) ranks higher in terms of strike-rate among players with at least 400 runs. Maxwell also took 77 wickets and was widely regarded as one of the best fielders of his generation.
His unforgettable double-century against Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup will likely stand as the defining highlight of his ODI career. Battling severe cramps, Maxwell carried Australia from the brink of defeat to a miraculous win.
Maxwell came in against Afghanistan with his side reeling at 7-91. In a high-pressure situation and battling severe cramps in searing heat, he smashed 201 off just 128 balls to snatch victory from jaws of defeat. Australia went on to win the World Cup, beating favourites India in Ahmedabad.
Reflecting on that moment in his 2024 autobiography The Showman, Maxwell wrote: “This was a moment, like Steve Waugh’s Ashes ton on the last ball of the day, or Michael Bevan’s final four to beat the Windies. One of those events that makes you ask ‘Where were you when...’ It was crazy to think that I now had one of these, a moment when Australia was all on board.”
With two ODI World Cup trophies (2015, 2023) and countless match-winning performances to his name, Glenn Maxwell retires from the format as a once-in-a-generation talent—unpredictable, unorthodox, and unforgettable.
