Heartbreak for Joe Burns as Italy Announce New Captain for T20 World Cup 2026

The Italy Cricket Team has come up with a massive development ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Joe Burns, who is also the former Australian opener, has been sacked as the captain of the team and has also been left out of the plans for the mega event.

Burns played a massive role in the Italy national cricket team qualifying for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He captained the team sensationally in the qualifiers. Under him, Italy beat Guernsey and Scotland at The Hague in Europe's regional qualifiers to qualify for the T20 World Cup, where they will play against some of the best cricketers in the world.

Wayne Madsen Replaces Joe Burns as Italy Cricket Captain

The Italian Cricket Federation (FCRI) has appointed Wayne Madsen as the Italy captain for T20 World Cup, replacing Joe Burns. He will start his stint as a captain in series against Ireland and then will be the Italy new captain for T20 World Cup.

Joe Burns' move to Italy was pretty emotional. After he lost his wicket in 2024, he fulfilled his dream and moved to Italy, qualifying through his mother's heritage. He was then appointed as the captain of the team and donned the 85 jersey, paying tribute to his brother.

The reports in ESPNCricinfo mentioned that him getting sacked as a captain comes with a broader problem which is confidential. The FRCI mentioned availability and contractual terms as a reason but also hinted at issues, saying the decision "responds to the need to ensure stability, harmony, and continuity for the team, elements deemed to be priorities over short-term objectives."

"Although preliminary exchanges of availability took place in recent weeks, a full agreement was never reached and, consequently, a formal contract was not signed," the FRCI stated.

Joe Burns Records for Italy Cricket Team

The reports added that Joe Burns repeatedly told the board that he is available and willing to play and is also okay with their terms. But despite that, he was sacked with Marco Mastrorocco, Italy Cricket's head of performance, confirming the same.

Mastrorocco, who was involved as a translator, expressed his shock at the decision to remove Joe Burns getting removed as the captain. He lauded the former Australian batter for his contribution.

"Joe has had a huge impact on Italian cricket and is a person of high integrity and a top professional," Mastrorocco said. "I'm shocked by the decision."

Burns’ record for Italy was staggering. While playing for Italy, he showed why he once played for one of the best cricket teams in the world, Australia. He played eight games and slammed a hundred and a fifty. His average of 45 speaks to the kind of impact that he made. He also had a strike rate of nearly 140 in the process.