Australian Glenn Maxwell (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
Veteran Australia spinner Glenn Maxwell has confirmed he has no immediate plans to move away from T20 internationals, with both the 2028 T20 World Cup and the Los Angeles Olympics firmly on his radar.Now 37, Maxwell will be 40 when Australia hosts the 2028 T20 World Cup, an event scheduled to take place just months after cricket makes its debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Speculation over his future has intensified following Australia’s early exit from the last T20 World Cup and a poor patch with the bat, but the explosive pacer insists he is in no rush to make any decision to retire.“I think not making a decision about my future was probably based more on what comes over the next 12 months.
“There’s not a lot of planning for T20 cricket, so there’s probably not a need to make any kind of formal announcements and just knowing how my body is going and knowing how I travel, and if there’s an opportunity to play in the future, hopefully I’ll be fit and firing,” Maxwell told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.The Australian T20I calendar remains light until August 2027, with only eight bilateral matches currently scheduled.
Maxwell has already called time on his ODI career, but is still open to prolonging his stint in the shortest international format.When asked about the prospect of participating in both the 2028 Olympics and the T20 World Cup on home soil, Maxwell spoke in a hopeful but measured tone.“Fitness and shooting? I hope so. But yeah, I haven’t set any dates. I felt like I got better and better throughout the World Cup. I probably judge that on the way I’m running around the field and how I’m feeling, probably more than any wicket-and-run stats.”
And I felt like I was able to get through the games a lot easier. “I felt like I was playing my role as best I could, and I felt like I still had a lot to offer,” he said.Although his recent returns in T20Is and Big Bash League have been modest, Maxwell believes his value to the team extends beyond numbers alone.Australia’s next T20I assignment is a three-match series against Bangladesh in June, part of a wider tour that also includes ODIs in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Maxwell confirmed that discussions with selectors are continuing regarding those plans.“We’ve had some discussions about what the next phase will look like, and we’ll continue to have really open and fluid discussions moving forward. As I said, if I’m fit, ready and available, I’ll be ready,” he said.Away from the international scene, Maxwell is set to keep busy on the franchise circuit. He has agreed a two-year extension with the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League and will also feature in the Pakistan Super League, Major League Cricket and Europe’s new T20 competition later this year.
He is set to represent the Hyderabad Kingsmen in the PSL, marking his debut in the tournament.“I looked at the window I had between the World Cup and the MLC, and with us not getting to the tournament as I had previously planned, I found myself having more time between tournaments, and I felt like I was going to be cold in the next tournament,” Maxwell said.“So it probably bridges the timing gap beautifully. And to have the opportunity to join a new team and start at the beginning with someone – I really love those opportunities. I think starting with a team from the beginning is a nice thing to be able to be a part of and build a brand,” he added.
