Maxwell Returns for Victoria's 50-Over Campaign Despite ODI Retirement
Glenn Maxwell is set to don Victorian colours once again in the 50-over format, just months after retiring from One Day Internationals. The 36-year-old allrounder has been named in Victoria's 14-player squad for the opening two matches of the Dean Jones Trophy, set to face Queensland on Wednesday and Tasmania on Friday at Allan Border Field.
Maxwell’s return to domestic one-day cricket is part of his preparation for Australia’s upcoming T20I series in New Zealand. Despite limited recent involvement in the format—having played just one List A match for Victoria since March 2022—Maxwell brings a wealth of experience and firepower to the squad.
Fellow T20I squad member Matt Short also makes a timely return from injury. Short has not played any cricket since his stint in Major League Cricket (MLC) in July, having missed both the West Indies T20I tour and the home series against South Africa due to a side strain. Like Maxwell, he hasn’t featured in a 50-over match since the now-defunct Champions Trophy.
Leadership Changes Amidst Australia A Commitments
Victoria captain Will Sutherland will lead the side in the opening clash before flying to India to join the Australia A squad for their second four-day match in Lucknow. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Peter Handscomb will assume captaincy duties for the second match.
Rising talent Oliver Peake, who made his List A debut for Australia A in July, is unavailable for Victoria as he is already in India for the A series. Spinner Todd Murphy is also on A tour duties.
Young guns Harry Dixon and Sam Elliott will feature in both fixtures before joining Australia A’s 50-over campaign in Kanpur, which begins on September 30.
Queensland Bolstered by Labuschagne Leadership
Queensland will be captained by Test mainstay Marnus Labuschagne for their matches against Victoria and Western Australia. However, their squad is without several key names: Xavier Bartlett (Australia A), Mark Steketee (hamstring), and Callum Vidler (stress fracture) are all sidelined. Test opener Usman Khawaja will also sit out, opting to focus on red-ball preparation ahead of the upcoming Ashes summer.
The Bulls have added fresh faces, including former New South Wales allrounder Hayden Kerr, and U-19 World Cup-winning skipper Hugh Weibgen, both of whom are in line for Queensland debuts.
Lachlan Hearne, a left-handed batter who struck a century against New South Wales in February, has been called up to his first Australia A squad as an injury replacement for Aaron Hardie. Hearne, alongside Tom Straker, will feature in both games before heading to India.
Squads
Victoria:
Will Sutherland (c), Peter Handscomb, Blake Macdonald, Callum Stow, Cam McClure, David Moody, Glenn Maxwell, Harry Dixon, Marcus Harris, Matt Short, Mitch Perry, Sam Elliott, Sam Harper, Tom Rogers
Queensland:
Marnus Labuschagne (c), Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Lachlan Hearne, Hayden Kerr, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Tom Straker, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth
Victoria's opening fixtures will serve not just as a domestic campaign kickoff but as critical match fitness for Australia’s white-ball stars ahead of a packed international calendar.