Australia chief selector George Bailey has said the T20I careers of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Steven Smith are not over despite the experienced trio being left out of Australia’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh.
Australia named a new-look 16-member squad for the three-match series in Bangladesh, scheduled for June 17, 19 and 21. Senior pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were also omitted and rested ahead of a demanding Test schedule, with Australia set to play 20 or possibly 21 Tests between August 2026 and August 2027.
The absence of Maxwell, Stoinis and Smith drew attention as none of the three has retired from T20 internationals. Maxwell and Stoinis have been key members of Australia’s white-ball setup for more than a decade and were part of the team that won the 2021 T20 World Cup. All three players also featured during Australia’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year.
Bailey clarified that the players had not been officially dropped and explained that the selectors wanted to start building towards the next T20 cycle, including the 2028 T20 World Cup at home and the Los Angeles Olympics.
“It’s not the end of the road,” Bailey said. “I wouldn’t call it dropped per se, but I understand that they’re not within the squad. But certainly, just given where we are in the cycle of T20s and on the back of our World Cup result, it’s a good opportunity, I think, to have a look at some different players.
“But that’s not to say that it might be the last we’ve seen of those three.”
Maxwell, now 37, has struggled for consistency in recent T20 cricket, scoring only one half-century in his last 20 innings. However, he has not announced any retirement plans and is expected to continue playing domestic cricket in Australia.
Stoinis, who turns 37 in August, has continued to impress in franchise cricket and has been one of the standout performers for Punjab Kings in IPL 2026.
Smith, who will also turn 37 soon, has openly spoken about his ambition to represent Australia at the LA Olympics. The selectors, however, view him mainly as a T20 opener, where he currently sits behind Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head in the pecking order.
The squad changes have opened opportunities for younger players. All-rounder Aaron Hardie returns after an impressive PSL season, while spin-bowling all-rounder Joel Davies has earned his first opportunity in an international series following strong performances in the Big Bash League.
“I think there’s a high degree of talent there,” Bailey said about Davies. “He’s a left-arm spinner as well and we’ve spoken at length about the importance of that.”