Photo Credit: LinkedIn Photo of Joe Burns
Former Australian cricketer Joe Burns has been appointed as the new captain of Italy’s national cricket team. This appointment follows Burns’ switch to Italy in May 2024, qualifying through his mother’s heritage, which led to his debut for the Italian team in June of the same year. Burns had played 23 Test matches for Australia between December 2014 and December 2020.
In a statement, Burns expressed his honor at being selected to lead Italy, describing it as a return to his family’s roots and highlighting the significant potential of Italian cricket. “Together with my team-mates, we are working to achieve ambitious goals and make our fans proud,” he said.
Fabio Marabini, president of the Italian Cricket Federation, has expressed strong support for Burns, praising his professionalism and generosity since joining the team. “His choice as captain reflects our ambition to take Italian cricket to new levels,” Marabini stated. He also shared hopes for Burns’ leadership during the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup qualifying stages.
Since his debut for Italy, Burns has played five T20Is, scoring 211 runs at an average of 70.33 and a strike rate of 144.52. In his most recent T20I, he scored an unbeaten 108 off 55 balls against Romania in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier Group A, leading his team to victory.
In addition to his international duties, Burns has been signed by the Dubai Capitals for the upcoming UAE ILT20 season, marking his rising profile in franchise T20 cricket. He has previously competed in leagues such as the Vitality Blast and Big Bash League. As an opener for Australia, Burns scored 1,442 runs from 40 Test innings between 2014 and 2020.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
