Former Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques has been appointed captain of Portugal cricket team in their bid to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time.
Henriques, who was born in Madeira, has been appointed captain for Portugal’s upcoming T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Finland, marking a new chapter in his international career.
The 39-year-old represented Australia in 44 international matches across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, with his last appearance for the country coming in 2021.
Born on the Portuguese island of Madeira, Henriques moved to Australia with his family as a child and went on to establish himself as a prominent domestic cricketer, representing New South Wales and Sydney Sixers during a career that spanned more than a decade.
He announced his retirement from Australian domestic cricket last month but plans to continue playing overseas and will now turn his attention towards helping Portugal secure a place at the 2028 T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Portugal are currently ranked 37th in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings and will begin their qualifying campaign against Israel on August 14.
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They have been placed in Group B alongside Israel, Germany, Greece and Czechia, with the group-stage matches scheduled between August 14 and 20.
Portugal will face Germany on August 15, Greece on August 17 and Czechia in their final group fixture on August 20.
The winner of Group B will meet the winner of Group A in the final on August 21. The overall winner will then progress to the European regional final, where Scotland, Jersey and Denmark await.
The top two teams from the European regional final will advance to the global qualifier, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the 2028 T20 World Cup.
Henriques takes over the captaincy from Carlos Nunes, who remains part of the Portugal squad despite stepping down from the leadership role. Nunes currently captains Twickenham in the Middlesex County Cricket League in England.
Portugal squad: Moises Henriques (captain), Craig Cachopa, Edward Fleming, Christopher de Freitas, Rahulkumar Hashu, Siraj Ullah Khadem, Hardeep Khuttan, Jeremy Martins, Dhavalkumar Norotam (wicketkeeper), Jordan Netto, Carlos Nunes, Sebastian de Oliveira, Upen Shantu and Cameron Shekleton.
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