JJ Smuts Leaves South Africa to Play for Italy in T20 World Cup 2026

In a latest development, former South African top order batter JJ Smuts has changed his team ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Smuts, who was once a part of South Africa's white-ball plans, will be featuring for Italy cricket team in the global tournament.

JJ Smuts has been one of the most prolific batters in South African domestic cricket. The right-hander didn’t get much opportunity to play for South Africa but in the domestic circuit, he has been excellent.

Smuts has played just 6 ODIs, scoring 180 runs and also featured in 13 T20Is, scoring 174 runs. But in the first-class career, he averages over 32 with 6315 runs to his name to go with ten centuries and 33 half-centuries in his career.

JJ Smuts to Play for Italy

With his numbers in T20s being decent, JJ Smuts, if he plays for Italy cricket team, will be a key player for them in the T20 World Cup 2026. The right-hander’s presence will boost the side as they will look to make an impact in the tournament where they will face the best cricket teams in the world.

Smuts will be looking to make the most of the opportunity and help his team win games in the tournament. The batter last played an international match in 2021 and now would be looking to add more to his international caps. JJ Smuts Italy presence will help the team overcome the other teams in the tournament.

In the 50-over format, Smuts hammered 5645 runs at an average of over 37 to go with 9 tons and 38 fifties. However, his best came in T20 cricket. Having played 227 matches, he has scored 4969 runs to go with three centuries and 25 fifties. He aimed to become one of the best T20 batsmen at one point, but didn't play much for South Africa.

Italy Removes Joe Burns as Italy Captain for T20 World Cup

Just a few days ago, Italy removed Joe Burns as captain ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The former Australian batter is not a part of Italy squad for T20 World Cup but had played a vital role as a captain and as a batter to take Italy to the tournament.

Joe Burns joined Italy after he lost his brother and through his mother's heritage. Under him, Italy beat Guernsey and Scotland at The Hague in Europe's regional qualifier to qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which will be played from 7 February to 8 March in India and Sri Lanka. But, he was replaced by Wayne Madsen as the new Italy captain for T20 World Cup.

The move left many shocked as Burns also won’t be in the plans for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He was removed as the Italian board confirmed that there was a lack of communication and they want to look at the future. It remains to be seen how Italy fares in the tournament without Joe Burns. They would hope that JJ Smuts fills that role and helps the team win.