The Joy of Six: Glenn Maxwell’s greatest innings for Australia

From the miracle of Mumbai, gamechanging centuries and a rare Test ton, here are half a dozen of the Big Show’s most destructive knocks

Glenn Maxwell has bowed out from international cricket leaving behind a trail of destruction razed by his most blistering innings and unconventional shots. Yet for all the outrageous highlights and gamechanging knocks, the 38-year-old’s legacy is tainted by an unshakeable feeling that he remained an unfulfilled talent.

The Big Show was denied a farewell appearance for Australia when overlooked for their T20 squad to face England this month before bringing the curtain down on his international career. But the three-time World Cup winner already has a long list of show-stopping performances to point to including arguably the greatest ODI knock of all time.

The career-defining performance brought together all the ingredients that made Maxwell one of a kind. Impeccable hand-eye coordination. Inventive stroke play and a 360-degree game. A knack for saving his best for the biggest stages and for when his team needed him most. And brute force made to look like a natural gift but finely crafted behind the scenes.

Maxwell was unbeaten on 22 as Australia slumped to 91 for 7 in pursuit of a 292-run target in a must-win game against Afghanistan at the 2023 ODI World Cup. There was little hint of what was to come with Australia on the brink of an early exit until captain Pat Cummins joined Maxwell at the crease and the all-rounder unleashed a stunning knock to turn the contest on its head. After suffering from cramps that left him barely able to walk and collapsing to the turf with 10 overs still remaining, Maxwell needed fluids and long periods of treatment just to continue batting. With his feet stuck to the crease like they were deep in cement he somehow plundered 201 not out from 128 balls with 21 fours and 10 sixes to lift Australia into the semi-finals and one step closer to what had seemed the most unlikely World Cup triumph.

Maxwell had been out of sorts when he stepped in for the injured Aaron Finch to open the innings in a T20 international for the first time in September 2016. He immediately looked at home at the top of the order with a 65-ball mauling of Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Maxwell set the tone as he dipped into his bag of tricks with a reverse sweep for the first six of the match. He cleared the rope another eight times and added 14 boundaries as he first reached a half-century in 27 balls, then took only 22 more deliveries to bludgeon his maiden T20I ton. Maxwell carried his bat to finish unbeaten on 145, while Australia’s 263 for 3 surpassed Sri Lanka’s record score in a T20I amassed against Kenya, and equalled the then highest total in the T20 format.

Maxwell is one of only six Australians to score a century in all three formats despite only playing seven Tests and none on home turf. The clean-striking powerhouse showed he had gears in his game as he steeled himself for a gritty knock against India in Ranchi in 2017. Maxwell waited until the 56th delivery he faced to hit his first boundary before turning to his more familiar approach to hammer a first – and what would be his only – Test ton with 104 from 185 balls. He played only three more Tests as his red-ball potential remained untapped, while his aggressive counterattacking approach was arguably ahead of its time.

Maxwell had shown he had X-factor but was yet to put it all into practice in a starring role until he broke through for a maiden international hundred to light up the SCG. His 51-ball century against Sri Lanka in 2015 was then the quickest by an Australian in men’s ODIs as well as the second-fastest in World Cup history. Maxwell blasted 10 boundaries and four sixes before being dismissed for 102 as – not for the last time – his match-turning knock came in a must-win match for Australia at a World Cup. He was part of the XI that would go on to lift the trophy, before he added two more crowns when hitting the winning runs at the 2021 T20 World Cup and 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Maxwell’s Magnum Opus would come later in the tournament but he first brought his A-game to an Off Broadway clash with the Netherlands at the 2023 World Cup. He made the most of facing a less threatening attack in New Delhi as he blazed his way to a 40-ball century for the quickest at a men’s Cricket World Cup and what remains the fastest for an Australian in all ODIs. Maxwell only faced his first ball midway through the 41st over but still had enough time to punish the Netherlands and raced to an unbeaten 75 by the end of the 48th. He then exploded with 4, 4, 6, 6 off the first four balls of a Bas de Leede over, and brought up his scintillating century with a hook over fine leg from a no-ball full toss.

Maxwell was still riding high from the 2023 World Cup when he hammered a strong West Indies attack in a T20I at Adelaide Oval early the next year. He started slowly but soon stepped through the gears with sixes from switch hits and reverse sweeps as he raced to a half-century from 25 balls. Maxwell matched that pace through the next stretch to bring up his ton from 50 deliveries and finished unbeaten on 120 runs off 55 balls with eight sixes. It was Maxwell’s fifth T20I century to set a record he still holds with Rohit Sharma for the most among all men’s batters, but his unstoppable form would end there in what would be his last ton for Australia.