Former Australia Star To Captain Portugal; Set Eyes On T20 World Cup 2028

Ex-Australia Test Star Makes Surprise Return With Portugal [Source: AFP]

Former Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques is making a second international cricket career for himself, this time with Portugal, the country where he was born. This move comes after his formal retirement from Cricket Australia.

Henriques played for Australia from 2009 to 2021, during which he played 4 Tests, 16 ODIs and 24 T20Is. His last appearance for Australia came in 2021, against Bangladesh in a T20I. 

Eventually, due to a lack of opportunities, Moises decided to retire from Australian domestic cricket. However, his cricketing career is far from over.

Moises Henriques Set To Captain Portugal

In a significant move, Moises Henriques has joined Portugal as captain ahead of the 2028 T20 World Cup qualifiers. The European sub-regional qualifier will be played in Finland from August 14 to 21.

Portugal will play in Group B alongside Israel, Germany, Greece and Czechia. The group winner will face the winner of Group A in the final on August 21. And the overall winner then advances to the European regional final, where they will compete alongside Scotland, Jersey and Denmark.  

Also, the top two teams from that stage will progress to the global qualifier, meaning Portugal still have several hurdles to clear before reaching the 2028 World Cup. 

They currently sit 37th in the ICC men's T20I rankings, so reaching the tournament would be a huge achievement. 

Also Read - List Of All Players Who Have Played Cricket For Two Countries Ft. Moises Henriques

How did Henriques qualify to play for Portugal?

Interestingly, Moises Henriques was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, but his family moved to Australia when he was a young child. He subsequently built his entire professional career in Australian cricket, playing for New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers. 

Under ICC eligibility rules, a player who has represented a full-member country can switch to an Associate nation after serving a three-year stand-down period from his last international appearance. 

Since Moises Henriques last played for Australia five years ago, he is eligible to represent Portugal. Now, he will lead the team in the upcoming European qualifiers. 

Moises Henriques follows in Joe Burns’ footsteps

Having said that, Moises Henriques is not the only Australian player to have switched teams. Former Australia opener Joe Burns, for example, recently helped Italy in their T20 World Cup qualification campaign. 

He played a major role in Italy’s historic qualification for their first-ever T20 World Cup, including a spectacular 108 not out from 55 balls against Romania during the qualifying process. However, he didn't get to play in the acutual World Cup due to availability  and contract issues.

Now Moises Henriques is heading down the same path. If he manages to pull off a similar stint as Joe Burns did for Italy, it would mark a historic occasion for Portugal.

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