Glenn Maxwell

Glenn James Maxwell (born 14 October 1988) is an Australian professional cricketer who plays for the Australia national cricket team in Twenty20 Internationals (T20I). He also plays for Victoria in domestic cricket and the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. He previously played both Test and One Day International (ODI) cricket.

A right handed all-rounder who is known for his sometimes unorthodox batting, Maxwell originally bowled medium-pace before switching to off-spin at a young age. He rose to prominence in 2011 after setting an at-the-time record for the fastest half-century in Australian domestic one day cricket—scoring 51 runs from 19 balls. The record led to his international debut, playing an ODI against Afghanistan in 2012, before making his T20I debut a month later against Pakistan and his Test debut against India the year after. As of 2025, he has played 7 Test matches, 149 ODIs and 126 T20I matches, the latter being the most of any Australian player.

Maxwell has held numerous international batting records over his career. After scoring 104 against India in 2017, Maxwell became the second Australian to have scored centuries in all three international cricket formats. Alongside Rohit Sharma, he holds the record for the most career T20I centuries—both having scored 5. At the 2023 Cricket World Cup, he achieved a century in 40 balls against the Netherlands, the fastest century scored at a Cricket World Cup and fourth fastest in ODIs. Against Afghanistan a month later, he set a new record for the fastest double century scored at the same event, the second fastest in ODI cricket—the innings regarded as one of the greatest in ODI history.

Known for his dramatic shot making and improvisation in short forms of the game, Maxwell was part of the Australian squads that won the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, and the 2023 Cricket World Cup. His ability to make unconventional shots like reverse sweeps and pulls often makes it hard to set fields that cover all of his scoring areas.

Early and personal life

Maxwell was born in Kew, Melbourne, and played junior cricket for South Belgrave Cricket Club. He initially played as a medium-pace bowler, before moving to bowl off spin.

Maxwell married his long-time girlfriend Vini Raman in March 2022. The couple have a son born in September 2023.

Maxwell is a supporter of the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Domestic career

Maxwell joined the Victorian squad in 2009–10 following an injury to Andrew McDonald in November. He made his senior debut for the one-day team in February 2010 and was selected to play for the Australian Institute of Sports in the 2010 Emerging Players Tournament. He scored 69 against India in the final.

Maxwell attracted national attention in February 2011 after scoring a match winning 51 from 19 balls in a Ryobi Cup game against Tasmania, the fastest half-century in Australian domestic one-day history, and made his first-class debut for Victoria against New South Wales later in the month, taking two wickets and scoring 38 runs on debut. The following month he scored his debut first-class century, making 103 runs against South Australia. In the 2011 Emerging Players Tournament, Maxwell scored 59 from 23 balls against India and 110 from 52 balls against South Africa.

In 2012, Maxwell went to England to play club cricket for South Wilts Cricket Club and Second XI cricket for Hampshire before appearing in the T20 Blast for the county.

Maxwell attempted to transfer to New South Wales ahead of the 2016–17 summer but was refused permission and was dropped from the Victorian team for the first match of the Sheffield Shield season. Maxwell was picked in the next Shield game and scored 81.

In November 2017, he scored his maiden double-century, scoring 278 against the New South Wales cricket team.

T20 franchise cricket

Maxwell has played in Twenty20 cricket franchises leagues in Australia, India and England. In the domestic Big Bash League he played for Melbourne Renegades in 2012–13 and has since played for Melbourne Stars. During the 2021–22 season he scored 154 not out against Hobart Hurricanes, breaking the record for the highest individual score in the league and leading his team to the highest team total in league history.

In India he played for Delhi Daredevils in 2012 before being bought in the 2013 IPL auction by Mumbai Indians, becoming the most expensive purchase at the auction, commanding a price of US$1 million. In 2014 he was bought by Kings XI Punjab, making scores of 95, 89, 95 and 90 runs during the season. In 16 games he had the season's third highest aggregate of runs scored with 552 runs at an average of 34.50 runs per innings and was retained by the team for the following two seasons. He returned to play for Delhi ahead of the 2018 season He again had a poor season, scoring 142 runs at an average of 14 and not passing 50 once. before being the subject of a bidding war between Delhi and Punjab ahead of the 2020 season, eventually being bought by Punjab. In 2021, he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore after another bidding war, this time with the Chennai Super Kings, and finished the season as the team's highest scorer, with 513 runs. He was retained by the team for the 2022 season.

In England, Maxwell has played for Hampshire, Surrey, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Warwickshire County Cricket Clubs in the T20 Blast and for London Spirit in the 2022 season of The Hundred.

International career

Maxwell was selected for Australia's series against Pakistan in the UAE in 2012, with head selector John Inverarity saying that he was "a versatile and lively off-spinning allrounder and brilliant fieldsman" who "will provide another spin bowler option on the slow, low, turning wickets" expected in the country. He made his debut against Afghanistan in the one-off One Day International (ODI) which took place ahead of the matches against Pakistan, before going on to play in five of Australia's six fixtures against the Pakistanis. Scores of 38, 28 and 56 not out in the three ODIs on the tour, saw him selected for two of the three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, scoring four on T20I debut and 27 from 20 balls in the final match of the tour; he also took his first international wicket.

The same squad of players was selected for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka which followed Australia's matches in the UAE. He played in all five of Australia's group stage matches, taking a single wicket and scoring only eight runs in the two innings in which he batted, but was dropped from the team for the semi-final against West Indies. Following the competition, Maxwell played for Australia A and for the Cricket Australia Chairman's XI against Sri Lanka, Maxwell scored 64 and took 2/70. before being called into the Australian squad for the third Test against the touring Sri Lankans at the end of the year, replacing Shane Watson. He did not play in the Test, but was brought back into the team for three of the five ODIs and both of the T20Is played in January. He was involved in a controversy in the final T20I of the series, after becoming involved in a verbal altercation with opposition players after failing to hit the last ball for four.

Test match debut

After scoring 51 not out from 35 balls opening the batting against West Indies in the first ODI of in February, Maxwell took four wickets in the second match of the series. He was subsequently selected for Australia's Test tour of India later in the month as an all-rounder. He made his Test debut against India in the second Test at Hyderabad as the team's second spinner, supporting Xavier Doherty with established lead spin bowler Nathan Lyon dropped. He scored 13 and 8 runs in the first and second innings respectively, but took 4/127 with the ball. He was dropped from the team for the third Test as Australia opted for more specialist bowlers, but brought back for the fourth and final Test in Delhi, replacing injured batsman Michael Clarke. He scored 10 and 8 runs.

Later in 2013, Maxwell played in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy in England, but was not selected for the 2013 Ashes which followed the competition. He went to South Africa with Australia A, making a first-class century against South Africa A and a limited overs century against India A in a tri-series.

By now an established member of Australia's one-day teams, Maxwell returned to India in October as part of an Australian limited overs tour of India and played against England later in the year. He was named in Australia's 15-man squad for 2014 ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, scoring 74 runs from 33 balls against Pakistan in Australia's first match of the competition. He finished the tournament as Australia's second highest run scorer, making 147 runs.

Maxwell made a return to the Test team in October 2014 against Pakistan in the UAE, playing in the second match of the two-match series. He scored 37 in the first innings and four in the second and was wicket-less; he performed better during the one-day matches.