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

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-09-23

Glenn Maxwell is back in Victoria's One-Day Cup squad to face New South Wales, just five days after captaining Belfast Wolves in the ETPL final in Dublin. Test bowler Scott Boland also returns for Friday's match, which will be the first floodlit game under the new lights at Junction Oval. ### Maxwell's Surprise Return Without a Contract Maxwell's selection is surprising because he retired from ODI cricket in early 2025 and holds no contract with Victoria or Cricket Australia. He was removed from CA's central contract list earlier this year, as he's only notionally available for T20I selection. Australia have just five T20Is scheduled in the 2026-27 contract year, and Maxwell was left out of the recent series against Bangladesh in June. Still, he discussed his availability for the One-Day Cup with Victoria earlier in the winter, and that chat turned into a squad spot against NSW in Melbourne, right after his ETPL commitments in Ireland. This isn't Maxwell's first One-Day Cup game since retiring from ODIs. He played two matches for Victoria last September, including his maiden List A century for the state. But back then, he was still contracted to CA, and those games were prep for a T20I tour of New Zealand. Victoria have four One-Day Cup fixtures left before the BBL starts: September 25, October 12, October 24, and November 16. Coach Chris Rogers hasn't said if Maxwell will play beyond Friday. ### Boland Set for One Outing Before Joining Test Squad Boland will get one game with Victoria before flying to South Africa on Sunday to join Australia's Test squad. He missed Victoria's win over Queensland in Brisbane last week. Rogers said having contracted players like Boland helps the squad both through performance and by setting an example for younger players. He added that the timing of the match, on the eve of the AFL Grand Final, should draw a big crowd given the star power. ### Victoria Manage a Squad Stretched Across Commitments Victoria are missing several players on national duty: - Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Todd Murphy, and Fergus O'Neill are with Australia A in India. - Ollie Peake is with Australia's ODI squad in South Africa. All except Murphy are expected back for the October 12 match. Murphy stays with Australia A for three one-day games ending October 11. Rogers admitted fitting everyone back in will be tough as the season goes on. He also praised the younger players in the win over Queensland, where Victoria chased down 336 after being 14 for 4. Debutant centuries from Liam Blackford and captain Will Sutherland led the charge. Rogers said the depth shown by uncapped players reflects well on Victoria's program for the rest of the season. > "The way the young guys stood up under pressure shows the strength of our system," Rogers said. For more cricket news and updates, visit JeetWin Blog!