Glenn Maxwell, the veteran all-rounder, failed to make the cut in Cricket Australia’s new central contracts list. After the announcement, the fans have started wondering if this means his international career is finally over or if he’s just been pushed to the margins. The board named 21 players with a heavy focus on Test cricket specialists.
Maxwell, at 37, was left out of Australia’s 2026-27 central contracts and he hasn’t played a Test match since 2017. Its obvious that he has been out of the red-ball picture for a while. This move came as the board decided it’s time to build around a core group of Test players, especially with a busy schedule coming up for the longer format.
The list, released on April 1, is pretty much shaped by the priorities for the next year—lots of Test cricket ahead, with series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, India, and England. Maxwell’s absence was one of the biggest surprises. He retired from ODIs last year and it is clear he has drifted away from the longer formats. Cricket Australia’s decision shows they’re sticking to that direction.
Maxwell is still available for T20 Internationals. But even there his spot isn’t guaranteed. He barely made an impact in Australia’s 2026 T20 World Cup campaign and the team didn’t get past the group stage. With the next T20 World Cup slated for 2028, the selectors might go for a younger, longer-term plan. It’s kind of the end of a bumpy ride for Maxwell. He has dealt with some odd injuries and even got warned by Cricket Australia about discipline and professionalism.
Elsewhere, the shakeup continued as Sam Konstas lost his contract because his weak form. Brendan Doggett, after taking seven wickets in two matches against England, landed his first contract. Michael Neser and Todd Murphy came back onto the list, but Jhye Richardson is out injured. Lance Morris, another pacer from Western Australia, is sidelined with a back problem. Matt Short, a white-ball all-rounder, also missed out.
Australia’s Central Contract List:
Xavier Bartlett, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Brendan Doggett, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, and Adam Zampa.
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