Former Australia cricketer Joe Burns appointed Italy's captain

Joe Burns has been announced as Italy’s new captain. Born in Brisbane, Burns played 23 Tests and six ODIs for Australia before switching his allegiance to Italy earlier this year as a tribute to his late brother.

He qualified to represent Italy in international cricket through his mother’s heritage and made his international T20 debut for them in June. He has played five T20Is for the European side, notching up his maiden international ton – 108* against Romania in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier Group A. 

"I am honoured to take on this role and represent Italy on the international stage," Burns said in a statement. "For me, it is a return to my family's roots. Italian cricket has enormous potential and I am excited to contribute to its growth. Together with my teammates, we are working to achieve ambitious goals and make our fans proud."

As skipper, Burns’ first challenge would be to secure a qualification for Italy in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Fabio Marabini, president of the Italian Cricket Federation, has backed Burns to take Italian cricket forward. 

"Since day one, Joe has shown great generosity and professionalism, putting his experience and competitive spirit at the disposal of the team. His choice as captain reflects our ambition to take Italian cricket to new levels. We are also counting on his leadership to play a leading role in the next qualifying stages for the 2026 T20 World Cup."

Burns, 35, is the most experienced player in Italy’s cricket history. He has played 160 first-class matches, 89 List A games and 93 T20s, including stints in various T20 leagues like the Big Bash League where he was the local player as an Australian, T20 Blast, Pakistan Super League as well as the International League T20 (ILT20). 

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