Source : Perth Now news
Aussie cricketing star Glenn Maxwell has called time on his international and first-class domestic career after more than 13 years playing several formats of the game for Australia.
The 38-year-old batting all-rounder announced his retirement in the latest episode of the Final Word Podcast, published on Tuesday morning, telling hosts Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon there “wasn’t any pressure” to make the decision from Australian T20 team management.
Maxwell said he decided to draw his focus away from a major send-off playing Sheffield Shield or International T20 so he could “spend a little bit more time investing” in keeping himself in shape for a “fairytale send-off” in the upcoming BBL season.
“We probably had numerous discussions before and after the T20 World Cup, and it was pretty open ended. There wasn’t any pressure from [Australian team management] and we decided to leave the door open,” Maxwell said.
“There was a couple of series that were coming up; they were going to look to the future and we saw that in Bangladesh with guys getting their opportunity and performing really well.”
The two-time ODI World Cup Winner said a “small discussion” had taken place as to whether he would close out his career playing for Victoria at the MCG, but he ultimately decided to step aside so some of the side’s younger talent is given a chance to develop.
“There’s going to be a lot of change over the next 12 to 24 months with the Olympics coming up, and they’ve got to make sure they get their eyeballs on a few young guys coming through and making sure they’re getting exposed to international pressure that you probably can’t always get from a BBL fixture,” Maxwell said.
“Post the last one-day game for Victoria, speaking to my teammates and letting them know that was going to be my last game for the state was probably harder than I thought it was going to be.
“Knowing that they’ve played such a huge role in my career, every time I’ve come back, had great teammates there and a lot of support from the state.”
Maxwell said he “got a little bit choked up” speaking to the player group, but it was important for him to be “investing in the body” for the upcoming Big Bash season.
Maxwell’s stellar career has been earmarked by 130 T20 International matches for Australia, with a tidy collection of 2897 runs and a strike rate of 154.42.
He also jointly holds the world record for the most centuries in the format, which he holds in conjunction with legendary Indian batsman Rohit Sharma.
