Australia's star all-rounder retires from ODI cricket

Maxwell made his debut in August 2012, scoring 3,990 runs and picking up 77 wickets from his 149 ODI games.

Maxwell's career saw the all-rounder win two ICC Men's Cricket World Cup titles for Australia in 2015 and 2023. His final ODI appearance came against India in the ICC Men's Champions Trophy earlier this year.

The all-rounder took the call to prioritise his preparation for next year's ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, the domestic Big Bash League, and his other global commitments, while understanding that he wasn't in a position to deliver his best in the ODI format.

"I felt like I was letting the team down a little bit with how the body was reacting to the conditions. I had a good chat with (Chair of Selectors) George Bailey and I asked him what his thoughts were going forward,” Maxwell told the Final Word Podcast.

“We talked about the 2027 World Cup and I said to him ‘I don’t think I am going to make that, it’s time to start planning for people in my position to have a crack at it and make the position their own’.

"Hopefully they get enough of a lead-in to hang onto that role. I always said I wasn’t going to hand my position over if I felt like I was still good enough to play. I didn’t want to just hold on for a couple of series and almost play for selfish reasons. They are moving in such a clear direction so this give them the best look at what the line-up is leading into that next World Cup. I know how important that planning is.”

Maxwell's most iconic ODI performance came in a group stage encounter against Afghanistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in Mumbai, when the player smashed 201* from 128 balls while battling severe cramps to lift Australia from 91/7 in pursuit of a target of 293, and seal a memorable win for his side.

The player had four ODI tons and 23 half-centuries, and batted at a strike-rate of 126.70, which is the second-best for a batter with at least 1000 runs in the format.

Looking back at his illustrious ODI career, Maxwell was happy to have featured in some great Australian sides.

“I think back to right at the start I was picked ahead of my time and out of the blue. I was proud just to be playing a couple of games for Australia. I thought I was just going to have that.

“Since then, I have been able to go through the up and downs of being dropped, being brought back, playing in a few World Cups and being a part of some great teams.”