Maxwell's Shocking Comeback: No Contract, Big Impact

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. And get this—he's doing it without a contract with either Victoria or Cricket Australia. Scott Boland is also in the squad for this historic match, which will be the first floodlit game at the Junction Oval under the new lights on Friday. ### Maxwell's Surprise Return Comes Without a Contract Maxwell retired from ODI cricket in early 2025 and 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 despite all that, he had talked with Victoria about playing in the One-Day Cup earlier in the winter. That conversation 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 appearance since his ODI retirement. He played two 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 were preparation for a T20I tour of New Zealand. Victoria have four One-Day Cup fixtures left before the BBL begins, scheduled for September 25, October 12, October 24, and November 16. Coach Chris Rogers hasn't confirmed whether Maxwell will play beyond Friday's match. ### 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 benefits the squad through their performance and the example they set for younger players. He also noted that the timing of the fixture, on the eve of the AFL Grand Final, should draw a big crowd. ### 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 all with the Australia A squad 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 will stay with Australia A for three one-day fixtures ending on October 11. Rogers admitted that fitting all contracted players back into the side 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 way. Rogers said the depth shown by uncapped players reflects well on Victoria's program. > "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! The post Glenn Maxwell, Scott Boland Return for Victoria in Historic One-Day Cup Day-Night Clash vs NSW appeared first on JeetWin Blog.