Former Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques will resume his international career later this year with a switch of allegiances to represent his native Portugal in the T20 World Cup qualifiers.
The 39-year-old, who was born in Portugal and migrated to Australia as an infant, has committed to helping the European country qualify for the 2028 T20 World Cup, as first reported CODE Sport.
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He will play for Portugal during the European sub-regional qualifying tournament in Finland in August, where he will face the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece and Israel.
“Opportunity for growth in the game around the world. It’s probably not only my Portuguese heritage, but also the game, more importantly, and the opportunity for growth all over the world,” Henriques said. CODE Sport.
“We can improve the quality of the whole interaction in, say, 10 or 20 more countries around the world, and then you will see Cricket World Cups that stop the whole world, not a couple of Western countries and the subcontinent.”
Moises Henriques from Australia. Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Henriques was born in Funchal, the capital of the island of Madeira, the same place where football icon Cristiano Ronaldo was born.
He has played 44 matches for Australia across formats, including four Tests, with his last match being a T20 match against Bangladesh in 2021.
Henriques is eligible to represent Portugal as the waiting period for a cricketer playing for an ICC associate country after his last appearance as a full member is three years.
He follows in the footsteps of former Australian opener Joe Burns, who helped Italy qualify for this year’s T20 World Cup in the subcontinent.
The 2028 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will feature 20 teams, including two European qualifiers, in addition to England and Ireland.