Former Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques will captain Portugal as they look to qualify for the T20 World Cup for the first time. Henriques, who played four Tests, 16 ODIs and 24 T20Is for Australia, has been named captain of Portugal’s 14-member squad for the T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Finland.
The 39-year-old was born in Madeira, the Portuguese island that is also the birthplace of football star Cristiano Ronaldo. His family moved to Australia when he was a child, where he later built a long domestic career with New South Wales and the Sydney Sixers.
Henriques was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad that won the 2016 title under David Warner’s captaincy after defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final.
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Henriques retired from Australian domestic cricket last month but will continue to play overseas. He is also contracted to Glasgow Cosmic for the first edition of the European T20 Premier League.
Portugal are currently ranked 37th in the ICC men’s T20I rankings. They have been placed in Group B alongside Israel, Germany, Greece and Czechia.
The qualifying tournament will run from August 14 to 20, with the two group winners moving through to the final on August 21.
The winner of that final will advance to the European regional final. Scotland, Jersey and Denmark have already secured their spots in that stage.
The top two teams from the European regional final will then qualify for the global qualifier for the 2028 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Henriques last played for Australia in 2021. Since then, he has continued his career through domestic and franchise cricket. He brings plenty of international experience to a Portugal team hoping to take the next step on the global stage.
Portugal’s squad also features former Sussex, Auckland and Wellington wicketkeeper-batter Craig Cachopa. Cameron Shekleton, meanwhile, has played for South Africa A.
Sebastian de Oliveira is another player to watch. He played a List A match for Gauteng alongside South Africa batter Ryan Rickelton.
Bangladesh-born spinner Siraj Ullah Khadem has also been included in the squad after being part of the longlist for this year’s Hundred auction.
Henriques takes over the captaincy from Carlos Nunes, who remains part of the squad.
Portugal will begin their campaign against Israel on August 14. They will then take on Germany on August 15, Greece on August 17 and Czechia on August 20.
Portugal squad
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, Cameron Shekleton.