The Big Show has played his last game for Australia. Glenn Maxwell announced his international retirement on Tuesday, closing a 14-year career that made him one of the most feared white-ball batters on the planet.
Maxwell, 38, broke the news on The Final Word podcast. He had already quit ODIs in June 2025, and his last game in green and gold was against Oman at the T20 World Cup in February. Now he is stepping away from T20Is, first-class and List A cricket too (Reuters).
The numbers are huge. Maxwell played 286 internationals for Australia — 7 Tests, 149 ODIs and 130 T20Is — scored 7,226 runs and took 136 wickets. His five T20I hundreds are a joint world record with Rohit Sharma. And nobody who saw it will forget his 201 not out against Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup — on one leg, against all odds, one of the great innings ever played.
What it means for the BBL
Here is the part Stars fans will love. Maxwell is not done. He stays with Melbourne Stars, with his contract running through the 2027-28 season, and he plans to use the next eight weeks on rehab to be fit and firing for the BBL this summer.
Maxwell called T20 cricket his home for 14 years. With no international tours pulling him away, the Stars may finally get a fully fresh Big Show for the whole of BBL|16. The season starts on 12 December in Chennai. Read his full Glenn Maxwell player profile and how the Stars are building around him and Finn Allen’s three-year Stars deal.
Last verified: 4 November 2026.
When did Glenn Maxwell retire?
He announced his international retirement on 3 November 2026 on The Final Word podcast, after stepping away from ODIs in June 2025.
Will Glenn Maxwell still play in the BBL?
Yes. He remains contracted to Melbourne Stars through the 2027-28 season and plans to be fully fit for BBL|16.
What was Maxwell’s best innings?
His unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup is widely rated one of the greatest one-day innings ever.