Explosive batsman Glenn Maxwell announced his international retirement Tuesday after being overlooked for Australia’s upcoming Twenty20 series against England.

The mercurial 38-year-old, who had not played a Test since 2017, called time on his one-day career last year but kept the door open for T20s.

He has not been picked since the World Cup in Sri Lanka in February, with selectors bypassing him for a series against Bangladesh in June.

Maxwell was again overlooked for the squad named Monday to play England in November, with a host of younger players instead preferred.

“A little bit sad and a little bit inevitable too, but I’m announcing my retirement from international cricket,” Maxwell said on the Final Word podcast.

“We probably had numerous discussions before and after the T20 World Cup,” he added of talks with selectors. “And it was pretty open-ended.

“There wasn’t any pressure from (Australia team management), and we decided to sort of leave the door open.

“There was a couple of series that were coming up (in which) they were going to look to the future, and we saw that in Bangladesh with guys getting their opportunity and performing really well.

“There was a small hope or discussion that I might have been able to potentially get a send-off game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (against England).

“But I can completely understand the direction they’re going with this squad.”

Maxwell played 130 T20 internationals, blasting 2,897 runs with a strike rate of 154.42, leaving as Australia’s third-highest run-scorer after David Warner and Aaron Finch.

While he only played seven Tests, he featured in 149 ODIs, crunching 3,990 runs.

Maxwell also called time on his first-class career with Victoria, but will continue with the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.

“I’m grateful for the time I was able to play for my country,” he said.

“If you had offered me that career when I first walked into the Victoria change rooms in 2009-ish, I would have bitten your hand off.”

– AFP

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