Italy have decided to play the 2026 T20 World Cup without their regular captain, former Australian cricketer Joe Burns.
Accordingly, Wayne Madsen has been given the responsibility of leading Italy in the next World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka and India.
The Italian Cricket Federation (Federazione Cricket Italia) has decided not to select Burns for the national team due to contractual issues.
The federation has not released further details in this regard.
However, a statement issued by the country’s cricket federation said that they took this step with the aim of prioritizing the need to ensure stability, unity and continuity for the team over short-term goals.
Italy are set to play in a Twenty20 World Cup for the first time in history.
The 36-year-old Burns led Italy to a World Cup qualification campaign that begins on 7 February.
He played eight T20Is for Italy, averaging 45 runs with a century and a half-century, while maintaining a strike rate of around 140.
Before representing Italy, Burns had played 23 Tests for Australia, scoring four centuries. He also represented Australia in six ODIs.
He later decided to play for Italy as a tribute to his brother, who died in February 2024.
Joe Burns’s mother being Italian did not prevent him from playing for Italy.
He chose to wear the number 85 on his jersey as a tribute to his brother (he was born in 1985).
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