Having switched cricketing allegiances in 2024, former Australian Test opener Joe Burns will no longer captain—or even represent—Italy at next year’s ICC T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and India.
The 36-year-old had played eight matches for Italy and captained the national side during the 2025 qualifying campaign that saw the Italians secure their place in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time in history, but will now play no part in the actual tournament.
The Italian Cricket Federation, Federazione Cricket Italiana, made the announcement in a press release on Thursday hinting at an impasse caused by off-field issues.
“Joe Burns will not be selected as part of Italy’s squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” it said.
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“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 statement continued.
In the same announcement, the Italian Cricket Federation confirmed South African-born Wayne Madsen, 41, would take the reins as national captain.
“These considerations were made solely in the interest of the national team’s preparation and serenity ahead of this historic event,” it said.
“The Federation wishes to place on record its sincere thanks to Joe Burns for his service to Italian cricket, both as a player and as captain. His contribution represents an important chapter in the continued development of the Italian national team.”
Born and raised in Brisbane, Burns played 23 Tests and six ODIs for Australia between 2014 to 2020 and was eligible to represent Italy through his mother’s heritage.
In eight T20I matches for Italy he averaged 45 runs at a strike rate of 139.