Moises Henriques to Captain Portugal in T20 World Cup Qualifiers
Moises Henriques, the 39-year-old veteran allrounder, will helm the Portugal cricket team as they pursue qualification for the T20 World Cup for the first time. This development comes after Henriques announced his retirement from Australian domestic cricket, although he will continue playing overseas.
Originally from Madeira, Portugal, Henriques has played four Tests, 16 ODIs, and 24 T20Is for Australia. His cricketing career includes notable stints with New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers, during which he earned 44 international caps, the most recent of which was five years ago. He currently holds a contract with Glasgow Cosmic in the inaugural season of the European T20 Premier League.
As captain, Henriques will lead Portugal, ranked 37th in the ICC’s men’s T20I standings, in Group B of the T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C, competing against Israel, Germany, Greece, and Czechia from August 14 to 20. The top team from the group will face the winner of Group A in the final on August 21.
The overall winner of this qualifier will advance to join Scotland, Jersey, and Denmark in the European regional final. The top two teams from that event will qualify for the global qualifier, aiming for a spot in the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Henriques takes over captaincy from Carlos Nunes, who plays for Twickenham in the Middlesex County Cricket League but remains part of Portugal’s 14-man squad. Other notable team members include former Sussex, Auckland, and Wellington keeper-batter Craig Cachopa, South Africa A player Cameron Shekleton, and Siraj Ullah Khadem, a Bangladesh-born spinner included in the longlist for this year’s Hundred auction.
Portugal’s squad includes: Moises Henriques (captain), Craig Cachopa, Edward Fleming, Christopher de Freitas, Rahulkumar Hashu, Siraj Ullah Khadem, Hardeep Khuttan, Jeremy Martins, Dhavalkumar Norotam (wicketkeeper), Jordan Netto, Carlos Nunes, Sebastian de Oliveira, Upen Shantu, and Cameron Shekleton.
Portugal’s upcoming fixtures are as follows: vs Israel (August 14), vs Germany (August 15), vs Greece (August 17), vs Czechia (August 20), with the final match scheduled for August 21.
Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Espn
