Before the start of T20 World Cup 2026, an Australian cricketer has been ruled out of the World Cup. Here we are talking about Joe Burns, who played for Australia, who started playing cricket for Italy from 2024. In fact, under the captaincy of Burns, Italy had qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time, but just a few weeks before the World Cup, he was dropped from the team.
The Italian Cricket Federation confirmed on Wednesday, 17 December, that Joe Burns has been dropped from the team due to a formal agreement not being finalised. In his place, Wayne Madsen has been appointed as the new captain of the team. Burns made his debut for Italy only in 2024.
Joe Burns, who bats with the right hand and bowls off-spin, last played for Australia in the year 2020. After the mandatory cooling-off period ended, he became eligible to represent the Italy team.
Joe Burns’ strong family ties to Calabria have made him eligible to play for Italy. His grandfather went to Australia after being made a prisoner of war during World War II. Let us tell you that Burns scored 1442 runs in 23 test matches for Australia, during which he scored 4 centuries and seven half-centuries.
Joe Burns’s exclusion from the World Cup is surprising because under his captaincy the Italy cricket team had qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time. Apart from this, he was also a part of Italy’s Challenge League, which could determine his path to playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
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