Moises Henriques, born in Ronaldo’s hometown, to lead Portugal in T20 WC bid

The Story in Brief

Former Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques will captain Portugal as the country attempts to qualify for the T20 World Cup for the first time. Henriques, born in Madeira, the hometown of football star Cristiano Ronaldo, moved to Australia as a child and played four Tests, 16 ODIs and 24 T20Is for Australia, with his last international appearance in August 2021. He became eligible for Portugal after completing the ICC's three-year cooling-off period for players switching from a Full Member to an Associate nation.

Portugal, ranked 37th in ICC T20I rankings, will compete in the Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Finland from August 14-20. They face Israel, Germany, Greece and Czechia in Group B. The group winner meets Group A's winner in the final on August 21; the qualifier winner advances to the European regional final, where Scotland, Jersey and Denmark await. The top two from that regional final earn a spot in the global qualifier for the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.