Ricky Ponting is predicting a bit of a changing of the guard in Australia’s T20 cricket team after they failed to make it out of the group stage at the World Cup for the first time in 17 years. But Glenn Maxwell reportedly has no plans to retire, and will seemingly force selectors to drop him if they want to make a change.
The 37-year-old Maxwell has endured a lean few years, and has scored 9, 31 and 22 at the T20 World Cup so far. His 31 against Zimbabwe off 32 balls was the slowest 30-plus score of his T20 career at both international and domestic level, and Australia lost the match to doom their campaign.
Ricky Ponting is predicting change, but Glenn Maxwell reportedly won’t be retiring. Image: Getty
Speaking on Thursday, Ponting said he can’t see Maxwell playing at the next T20 World Cup in 2028, saying: “I think it looks to me like his career is coming towards an end.” But according to News Corp, Maxwell is leaning towards playing on.
The 37-year-old is retired from one-day internationals, but hasn’t yet stepped away from the T20 format. Leading reporters Daniel Cherny and Robert Craddock reported this week that Maxwell “will not be retiring…and may well look to keep pushing for international selection.”
Maxwell recently re-signed with the Melbourne Stars in the BBL for another two seasons, meaning he’ll still be around when the next T20 World Cup takes place in Australia and New Zealand. Whether or not he decides to step away from the international level before that remains to be seen, although the 2028 Olympics in LA could be a target.
Glenn Maxwell is reportedly keen to push on.
(ICC via Getty Images)Ricky Ponting predicts change in Aussie T20 team
Australia will play Oman in their final group game on Friday night, but they’ve already been eliminated after losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Ponting said he wouldn’t be surprised to see mass changes moving forward.
“I think Mitchell Marsh will probably hang on long enough for that (2028), and I think Travis Head will definitely be around and (Josh) Inglis will be around,” he said on The ICC Review. “Steve Smith has been very vocal about him wanting to be a part of an Olympic team as well. Whether or not that happens is a different story.
“Cameron Green will be around if his form is good enough to stay in the side. You would think Nathan Ellis would be around, Xavier Bartlett will be there. Cooper Connolly would be there and thereabouts.
“Marcus Stoinis would also probably be a question mark, but he’s predominantly playing only T20 cricket tournaments around the world these days. Doesn’t play a lot of state cricket and obviously plays the BBL, so with his all round ability, he might be there.
“There will be some change. Matthew Kuhnemann, he’s young enough to still be around as well if they decide to have two spinners in their lineups.”