Former Australia Test opener Joe Burns named Italy T20 captain

Former Australia Test opener Joe Burns named Italy T20 captain

Former Australia international batter Joe Burns has been named as captain of Italy’s T20 team, having shifted his allegiance to the European nation after representing the Baggy Greens in 23 Tests.

The 35-year-old had shifted his allegiances to Italy in May 2024 after the Brisbane-born player became eligible to play for Italy through his maternal grandparents, who were originally from Calabria.

The right-hand batter made his debut for Italy in June 8 in the match against Luxembourg in the regional qualifiers for the World Cup T20 2026.

“I am honoured to take on this role and represent Italy on the international stage,” Burns said in a statement after the announcement.

“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 team-mates, we are working to achieve ambitious goals and make our fans proud,” the player added.

Burns aggregated 1,442 runs in 40 Test innings for Australia, including four centuries, with an average of 36.97.

Interestingly, he remained not out on a 63-ball 51 in the second innings of the Australian innings during the Adelaide Test of 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, when India was all out for 36 in its second essay.

After his move to Italy, Burns has appeared in five T20 Internationals where he has scored 211 runs at an excellent average of 70.33 and a strike rate of 144.52.

In Italy’s last T20 match, he scored an unbeaten 108 off 55 balls, leading Italy to victory over Romania in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup regional Europe qualifier Group A.

Burns is a regular in franchise-based T20 cricket, with Dubai Capitals signing him up for the upcoming season of the UAE’s ILT20.