Not the end of the road for Maxwell, Stoinis, Smith in T20Is: George Bailey

Published - 11 May 2026, 18:05 IST | Updated - 11 May 2026, 18:05 IST

Australia chief selector George Bailey has clarified that the omission of senior stars Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Steve Smith from the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh does not signal the end of their international T20 careers.

Bailey stressed that the experienced trio has “not been dropped”, with the selectors instead aiming to test fresh faces as Australia begins planning for future ICC events.

Australia recently announced a revamped 16-member squad for the three-match T20I series in Bangladesh, with the matches scheduled to be played on June 17, 19, and 21. Senior pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were also left out, with the management opting to rest them ahead of a packed Test calendar over the next year.

The absence of Maxwell and Stoinis attracted significant attention, considering both players were part of Australia’s victorious 2021 T20 World Cup campaign and have remained integral members of the side over the years.

Speaking on the selection calls, Bailey explained that the team management wants to build depth and explore new combinations with major tournaments still some distance away.

“It’s not the end of the road. 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,” George Bailey was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

He further added that Australia’s focus remains on staying competitive while also preparing a stronger pool of players for the future. Bailey also reiterated that the door remains open for the experienced campaigners despite their exclusion.

“I’m not taking away the fact that every time that we take a team or squad away, the expectation and our expectation is that we will win and those players will perform. So it’s a really important period of time, I think, for that T20 group to actually start to develop some different players in different roles across that. But that’s not to say that it might be the last we’ve seen of those three,” he concluded.

Maxwell, now 37, has struggled for consistency in recent T20 cricket, registering just one half-century in his last 20 innings in the format. Stoinis, who turns 37 in August, continues to enjoy success on the franchise circuit and has been among the standout performers for Punjab Kings in the ongoing IPL 2026 season.