Maxwell and Boland Return for Victoria's Historic Day-Night Clash

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-09-23

### Glenn Maxwell Makes Surprise Return for Victoria Glenn Maxwell is back in Victoria's One-Day Cup squad to face New South Wales, just five days after captaining the Belfast Wolves in the ETPL final in Dublin. It's a whirlwind turnaround for Maxwell, who retired from ODI cricket in early 2025 and currently holds no contract with Victoria or Cricket Australia. His selection is a bit of a head-scratcher for some, given he was removed from CA's central contract list earlier this year. He's only notionally available for T20I selection, though he hasn't formally retired from Test cricket. Australia have just five T20Is scheduled in the 2026-27 contract year, and Maxwell was left out of the most recent T20I series against Bangladesh in June. But here's the thing: Maxwell had chatted with Victoria about his availability for the One-Day Cup earlier in the winter. That conversation has now turned into a squad spot against NSW in Melbourne, right after his ETPL commitments in Ireland. This isn't Maxwell's first rodeo in the competition since his ODI retirement. He played two One-Day Cup matches for Victoria last September, including his maiden List A century for the state. Back then, he was still contracted to CA, and those games served as prep for a T20I tour of New Zealand. Victoria have four One-Day Cup fixtures remaining before the BBL begins, scheduled for September 25, October 12, October 24, and November 16. Coach Chris Rogers hasn't confirmed whether Maxwell will feature beyond Friday's match. ### Scott Boland Gets One Outing Before Test Duty Test bowler Scott Boland will also be in action for Victoria, getting a single hit-out before flying to South Africa on Sunday to join Australia's Test squad. He missed Victoria's win over Queensland in Brisbane in the team's opening match of the season last week. Rogers said the presence of contracted players like Boland benefits the squad both through direct performance and through the example they set for developing players. He added that the timing of the fixture, on the eve of the AFL Grand Final, is likely to draw strong crowd interest given the players involved. ### Victoria's Squad Stretched Across Commitments Victoria are currently without several players tied to national duty, including Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Todd Murphy, and Fergus O'Neill, all of whom are with the Australia A squad in India. Ollie Peake is with Australia's ODI squad in South Africa. All of them, barring Murphy, are expected to return for the October 12 match. Murphy will stay on with Australia A for three one-day fixtures concluding on October 11. Rogers acknowledged that fitting all contracted players back into the side will be a challenge as the season progresses. He also pointed to the performance of Victoria's younger players in the win over Queensland, where the side chased down 336 after slipping to 14 for 4, led by debutant hundreds from Liam Blackford and captain Will Sutherland. Rogers said the depth being shown by uncapped players reflects positively on the structure of Victoria's playing program heading into the rest of the season. > "The depth being shown by uncapped players reflects positively on the structure of Victoria's playing program," Rogers said. ### What This Means for Victoria's Season With Maxwell and Boland in the mix, Victoria have a blend of experience and youth that could be crucial in the One-Day Cup. Maxwell's ability to change a game in a flash is well-known, and Boland's consistency with the ball is a huge asset. But the real story might be the young guns stepping up when needed. As the season unfolds, how Rogers manages his squad will be key. The return of national duty players will create selection headaches, but that's a good problem to have. For now, all eyes will be on the Junction Oval on Friday for the historic day-night clash. For more cricket news and updates, stay tuned to our blog.