Australian cricketer to play for Portugal

Former Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques has switched his international allegiance and will represent Portugal in the upcoming T20 World Cup qualifiers in August, as per Code Sports. The experienced cricketer has decided to restart his international career by playing for the country of his birth. The 39-year-old played 44 international matches for Australia but has not represented the national team since 2021. He will now travel to Finland for the European sub-regional qualifier, the first step in Portugal’s bid to qualify for the 2028 T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Moises Henriques Set to Represent Portugal After Australia Stint Moises Henriques was born in Portugal before moving to Australia as a baby. The New South Wales all-rounder is now eligible to represent Portugal after completing the ICC’s mandatory three-year stand-down period for players switching from a Full Member nation. Henriques follows the path taken by former Australia opener Joe Burns, who recently switched to Italy through his family heritage. If Portugal qualify, Henriques could represent his birth country at a future T20 World Cup. The men’s T20 World Cup now features 20 teams, giving more Associate nations a chance to qualify. The move could also benefit Henriques in franchise cricket, as he can now be signed as an Associate player instead of occupying a Full Member overseas spot. Speaking to CODE Sports, Moises Henriques said that he wants to help cricket grow in emerging nations. He said that representing Portugal is about more than his heritage and hopes the move will support the game’s global expansion. “I guess the opportunity for growth in the game around the world, it’s probably not just my Portuguese heritage, but the game, more importantly, and the opportunity for growth worldwide,” Henriques said. Henriques added that stronger Associate nations would make future ICC tournaments more competitive and help cricket reach a wider global audience. “We can improve the quality of all the engagement in, say, another 10 or 20 nations around the world, and then you’re looking at cricket World Cups that stop the entire world, as opposed to a couple of Western countries and the subcontinent,” he added. Henriques said that his family in Portugal were excited about his decision to represent the country. He added that his brothers also support the move, even though they were born in Australia after the family relocated. “My family back in Portugal would be all really proud to see me doing it as well. Both my brothers think it’s cool, they were both born here in Australia after we moved here, where I was actually born in Portugal,” he said. The veteran all-rounder also said his relatives in Portugal are proud to see a family member represent their country on the international stage. “My family that are still in Portugal, they seem more proud than anyone, so yeah, even though I haven’t really been a huge part of their lives, but I think they see it as ‘oh wow, we’ve got someone in the family that’s representing our country, as opposed to another country’,” Henriques added. (Cricket Addictor)