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By Ishaan Kapoor — 11 August 2026 — 3 min read

Moises Henriques, a former Australia all-rounder, has been named captain of Portugal for their upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C campaign in Finland. Henriques, who was born in Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira, will lead a 14-member squad as Portugal aims for its first appearance in the T20 World Cup.

Henriques’ appointment was confirmed by the Portuguese Cricket Federation on Tuesday. This new role comes shortly after he announced his retirement from Australian domestic cricket last month, concluding a 22-year career in the country’s domestic system. He is eligible to represent Portugal after completing a three-year cooling-off period required for players transitioning from an ICC Full Member nation to an Associate nation, which he fulfilled in June.

Henriques’ International and Domestic Career

Henriques played 44 international matches for Australia across various formats. His career included four Tests, 16 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 24 T20 Internationals (T20Is). His last international appearance for Australia was in August 2021, during a T20I match against Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Domestically, Henriques had a notable career in Australia, representing New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers. He made 420 appearances across first-class, List A, and T20 cricket, making him the most-capped player for Australian domestic teams. He also participated in all 15 completed seasons of the Big Bash League and captained the Sixers in 129 matches, leading them to consecutive BBL championships in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He finished as the Sixers’ leading men’s run-scorer with 3,410 runs.

Portugal’s Qualification Pathway

Portugal, currently ranked 37th in the ICC men’s T20I rankings, will compete in Group B of the Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C. Their group stage opponents include Israel, Germany, Greece, and Czechia. The tournament is scheduled to run from August 14 to 21 in Kerava and Vantaa, Finland.

Portugal’s fixtures begin on August 14 against Israel, followed by a match against Germany on August 15. They will then face Greece on August 17 and Czechia on August 20. The winner of Group B will advance to the final on August 21, where they will play against the winner of Group A.

The champion of this qualifier will progress to the European regional final. There, they will join Scotland, Jersey, and Denmark. From the regional final, the top two teams will secure a spot in the global qualifier, aiming to reach the 2028 T20 World Cup, which is set to be held in Australia and New Zealand. The ICC’s revised qualification system for the 2028 tournament will see two European teams advance to the 16-team Global Qualifier, where the remaining eight places for the World Cup will be decided.

Squad Details and Leadership Transition

The 14-member Portugal squad features several other notable players. These include Craig Cachopa, a former wicketkeeper-batter for Sussex, Auckland, and Wellington; Cameron Shekleton, who has represented South Africa A; and Sebastian de Oliveira, who played one List A match for Gauteng. Additionally, Bangladesh-born spinner Siraj Ullah Khadem, who was included in the longlist for this year’s Hundred auction, is part of the squad.

Henriques takes over the captaincy from Carlos Nunes, who currently captains Twickenham in the Middlesex County Cricket League in England. Nunes will remain a part of the 14-member squad, contributing his experience alongside the new captain. The full Portugal squad for the qualifiers includes Moises Henriques (capt), Craig Cachopa, Edward Fleming, Christopher de Freitas, Rahulkumar Hashu, Siraj Ullah Khadem, Hardeep Khuttan, Jeremy Martins, Dhavalkumar Norotam (wk), Jordan Netto, Carlos Nunes, Sebastian de Oliveira, Upen Shantu, and Cameron Shekleton.

The immediate focus for Henriques and the Portugal team is their campaign in Finland, with their first match scheduled for August 14.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com