Joe Burns replaced as Italy captain, left out of T20 World Cup plans

Joe Burns, the former Australia opener, has been replaced as captain and left out of Italy's T20 World Cup plans. Burns, who played 23 Tests for Australia, was the captain and leading figure in Italy's memorable surge through qualifying campaigns over the last 18 months, culminating in July this year.

He led the side to wins over Guernsey and Scotland at The Hague in Europe's regional qualifier, securing Italy a historic first World Cup spot, in what was a heartwarming late-career twist driven by personal grief.

But he now faces heartbreak after the Italian Cricket Federation (FCRI) announced Wayne Madsen, the veteran Derbyshire batter as captain for a series against Ireland and after that, the T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka next February.

Burns' Italy stint has been driven by the grief he underwent after losing his brother at the beginning of 2024. He made the move to play for Italy, qualifying through his mother's heritage, and was eventually appointed captain at the end of that year. He wore the number 85 jersey when he played as a tribute to his late brother.

The statement from the FRCI did not go much beyond a cursory mention of availability and contractual terms as a reason, but the issue is believed to go deeper and has been brewing since, at least, October. The board only hinted at those broader issues, saying the decision "responds to the need to ensure stability, harmony, and continuity for the team, elements deemed to be priorities over short-term objectives."

Burns has been aware of his potential exclusion for a while. And Madsen was first mentioned as the captain in an FRCI press release at the end of November, when he was with the team in the UAE for a training camp (Derbyshire also put out a release on his Italian appointment at the same time). Burns was not part of the squad for that camp.

"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 FRCI statement said.

Burns is believed to have repeatedly informed the board that he had accepted their terms and was available and willing to play. Marco Mastrorocco, Italy Cricket's head of performance, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he had been on communication between Burns and FRCI in which the former made clear he had accepted the deal. Mastrorocco was involved as a translator.

"Joe has had a huge impact on Italian cricket and is a person of high integrity and a top professional," Mastrorocco said. "I'm shocked by the decision."

Burns played eight T20Is for Italy, hitting one hundred and one fifty, and averaging 45 with a strike rate of nearly 140 in the process.

The board said it will not be commenting further on the matter, though did place on record "its sincere thanks to Joe Burns for his service to Italian cricket," and said that his contributions represented "an important chapter in the continued development of the Italian national team."