Glenn Maxwell leaves ODIs as bonafide legend, with his 201 vs Afghanistan etched in folklore

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell on Monday retired from ODIs effective immediately. One of the hardest-hitting batters, Maxwell took the call to retire due to his body being unable to cope with the demands of the 50-over format.

Maxwell is currently suffering from a finger injury on his right hand, which he suffered during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, but he has also regularly faced fitness issues since breaking his left leg in 2022 .

Maxwell quits ODIs due to physical demands

“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.

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“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.

“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. 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.

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“I felt like I was letting the team down a little bit with how my body was reacting to the conditions.”

Maxwell: A proper ODI legend

Maxwell’s exit will leave the Australian selectors with a tough job as they are still reeling from the loss of Marcus Stoinis and Steve Smith, who retired from the ODIs earlier this year. David Warner has also retired from ODIs.

Australia will now need to find quality replacements in a little over two years for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Nonetheless, the 36-year-old Maxwell leaves the ODI circuit as one of the best white-ball players to play the format. He only took part in 149 matches but won two World Cups with Australia, in 2015 and 2023, after making his debut in 2012.

Besides winning two ODI World Cups, Maxwell maintained a strike rate of 120 throughout his career. The only other batter to do so is Andre Russell (130.22). But Andre Russell played only 56 matches, while Maxwell scored 3990 runs in 149 ODIs and also took 77 wickets.

More amazingly, Maxwell has the highest batting strike-rate in ODI history among batters to have scored at least 2,000 runs. He scored his runs in ODIs at a career strike rate of 126.70.

Maxwell was also one of the best fielders in ODIs, known for taking some of the most eye-catching catches and affecting crucial run-outs.

The all-rounder was also one of the best finishers in ODIs during his career, averaging 33.81 and scoring four centuries. One of his best knocks as a finisher came in the 2023 World Cup against Afghanistan when he blasted 201 not out from No.6 spot to help Australia complete a chase of 292 after they were reduced to 91/7 in the 19th over.

In that knock, Maxwell struggled with cramps and Mumbai’s humidity, but slammed 10 sixes and 21 fours to get the job done, as he left the cricketing world stunned.

It was the first double hundred for an Australian in an ODI, but most importantly, the first for a batter in a chase. It was also the first double ton by a non-opener.