After retiring from Australian domestic cricket last month, Moises Henriques was named Portugal captain for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Europe Qualifiers.
By debuting for Portugal today (August 14) as captain, Henriques joined an small but growing group of players to represent two nations in international cricket. He is leading the cricketing national dream, as Portugal aim to qualify for the T20 World Cup in 2028.
Speaking to Wisden’s The Scoop, the 39-year-old was quick to dismiss the thoughts of being elevated to Cristiano Ronaldo’s tier in Portugal's national consciousness if he helps Portugal qualify for the next edition of the T20 World Cup.
“I'm not sure one T20 World Cup is the same as six FIFA World Cups,” the former Australia international said.“I'm not sure I'm going to be getting an airport in Madeira like Cristiano does, but if I get a bus stop, I'll be happy.”
Ronaldo has an international airport in Funchal, Madeira, named in his honor.
Moreover, Henriques was born in Madeira, which is also Ronaldo’s birthplace. However, his family moved to Australia when he was a toddler, where Henriques later played cricket professionally for New South Wales and Sydney Sixers. He also played international cricket, donning the Australian jersey in four Tests, 16 ODIs and 25 T20Is.
Now, Henriques has made a winning start to his captaincy tenure for Portugal. They defeated Israel in their opening game of the qualifiers by 94 runs. The skipper led from the front, smashing an unbeaten 66 off 39 deliveries with four fours and as many sixes. However, there is a long way to go for them in terms of qualification for the main event.
Portugal will face Germany, Greece and Czechia in Group B of the qualifier tournament, with Spain, Finland, Bulgaria, Isle of Man and Luxembourg comprising Group A. The winner of each group will lock horns in the final on August 21. The winner of this competition will join Scotland, Jersey and Denmark in the European regional final.
The top two teams from this tournament will progress to the global qualifiers for the T20 World Cup 2028.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
