The Italian Cricket Federation (Federazione Cricket Italia) has confirmed that Wayne Madsen will captain the national side at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year, replacing Joe Burns, who will not be part of the squad.
Italy are yet to announce their final squad for the tournament, which will mark the country’s first appearance at a global cricket event at any level.
“Despite preliminary discussions regarding Burns’ availability, no final agreement was reached and no contract was formalised. Internal technical and organisational evaluations identified Wayne Madsen as the most suitable choice to lead the team,” the Federation said in a statement.
Burns had represented Italy in the 2024 tournaments in Rome and Uganda and captained the team during the qualifying campaign in the Netherlands in July 2025, which secured Italy’s historic T20 World Cup qualification. “The Federation thanks Joe Burns for his contribution to Italian cricket, both on the field and as captain,” the statement added.
Italy will open their T20 World Cup campaign against Bangladesh in Kolkata on February 9 and will also face England, West Indies, and Nepal in Group C.
Ahead of the tournament, Italy will play a three-match T20I series against Ireland in Dubai, beginning January 23. The series will mark Italy’s first-ever bilateral series against an ICC Full Member and will provide both teams an opportunity to fine-tune their squads ahead of the World Cup.
-IANS
