Maxwell's Shock Return: No Contract, Still Delivering

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-09-23

Glenn Maxwell is back in Victoria's One-Day Cup squad to face New South Wales, and he's doing it without a contract. Just five days after captaining the Belfast Wolves in the ETPL final in Dublin, Maxwell lands in Melbourne ready to play. Talk about a whirlwind schedule. Scott Boland is also in the squad for this fixture, which will be the first floodlit match under the new lights at Junction Oval on Friday. It's a historic moment for the venue, and the crowd is expected to be buzzing. ### Maxwell's Surprise Return Comes Without a Contract Maxwell retired from ODI cricket in early 2025 and doesn't hold a contract with Victoria or Cricket Australia. 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 side for the most recent T20I series against Bangladesh in June. Despite that, he'd discussed his availability for the One-Day Cup with Victoria 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 appearance 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 preparation 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. ### Boland Set for One Outing Before Joining Test Squad Boland will get a single hit-out 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, the team's opening match of the season. Rogers said the presence of contracted players like Boland benefits the squad both through performance and 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. > "Having guys like Scott around, even for one game, lifts everyone. They see how a professional prepares, and that's invaluable for our younger players." - Chris Rogers ### Victoria Manage a Squad Stretched Across Commitments Victoria are currently without several players tied to national duty. Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Todd Murphy, and Fergus O'Neill are all with the Australia A squad in India. Ollie Peake is with Australia's ODI squad in South Africa. All of them, except Murphy, are expected to return for the October 12 match. Murphy will stay 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. Debutant hundreds from Liam Blackford and captain Will Sutherland led the charge. 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. Key points: - Maxwell returns without a contract, fresh off ETPL final. - Boland gets one game before joining Test squad in South Africa. - Victoria missing several players to national duty. - Young players step up in impressive chase against Queensland. For more cricket news and updates, visit JeetWin Blog!