Former Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques will captain Portugal as they look to be another football-crazy nation to qualify for T20 World Cup, following the footsteps of Italy, which sneaked into the 2026 edition hosted by India.
With Portugal currently sitting 37th in the ICC T20I rankings, they need a big push to qualify for the T20 World Cup.
Who is Moises Henriques?
Born on February 1, 1987 in Madeira, the Portuguese island to the west of Morocco, which also happens to be the birthplace of football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, the seam-bowling all-rounder plied his trade for Australia. While Henriques represented Australia only on 44 occasions, the last of which came five years ago, he was a giant in domestic cricket. He enjoyed a long career with the New South Wales and Sydney Sixers, who lifted the Big Bash League (BBL) title twice under Henriques in BBL 09 and BBL 10. The first season of the T20 event in 2010-11 saw him win the title as a player.
Henriques announced that he will retire from Australian domestic cricket last month but continue to play overseas. The veteran will be part of the European T20 Premier League, penning down a contract with the Glasgow Cosmic. The all-rounder will get to rub shoulders alongside the likes of Finn Allen, Liam Livingstone, George Munsey, Kamindu Mendis, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ali Khan, Paul van Meekeran and many other superstars.
Portugal is currently ranked 37th in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings and is set to compete against Israel, Germany, Greece, and Czechia in Group B of the T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C, scheduled from August 14 to 20. The winner of Group B will advance to face the winner of Group A in the final on August 21.
The overall victor of the qualifier will secure a place alongside Scotland, Jersey, and Denmark in the European Regional Final. The top two teams from this event will then advance to the Global Qualifier, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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