The 35-year-old former Australian cricketer, especially popular as a Test opener, has been named as the captain of the ICC Associate Member, Italy national cricket team.

Brisbane-born Joe Burns, who last played for Australia in 2020, became eligible to play for his mother’s heritage Italy. Last June, Burns made his debut for Italy. Without a big surprise, Burns has been named as the captain of Italy. 

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Italian cricket has enormous potential: Joe Burns

Burns stated, "I am honoured to take on this role and represent Italy on the international stage. 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."

Joe Burns: Only T20I centurion for Italy

While Burns never played for Australia in the T20I format, he finally made his T20I debut last June during their match against Luxembourg in the Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. On his T20I debut, Burns scored 58 runs. 

Italy qualified for the Europe Reginal Final for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after finishing as the champions in the Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier A. 

The Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier A ended with Italy’s victory by 160 runs against Romania. In that final, Burns scored 108 not out off 55 balls and became the first Italian cricketer to record a T20I century. 

Joe Burns: Hit four Test centuries

From December 2014 to December 2020, Burns played 23 Tests and six ODIs for Australia. The right-handed batter scored 1442 runs in 40 Test innings with an average of 36.97. He hit four centuries and seven half-centuries in his Test career, including his highest Test innings score of 180 during the 2019 Canberra Test against Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, in his ODI career, Burns scored 146 runs in six matches with an average of 24.33, including one half-century.