How a promise to late brother spurred Joe Burns to lead Italy to historic 2026 T20 World Cup
Underdog stories in any sport are a treat to witness, especially when there is a lot of emotional baggage in the background. In an ideal world, Joe Burns would have been an established Australian player, ruling the roost for the national side and chirping around with T20 contracts across the world. However, his life was anything but ideal in the route it took.
Rated highly for his silky touch in strokeplay and ability to play spin well, Burns' talent didn't quite translate into consistent returns. Even with the dwindling standards of Australia's domestic batting machinery, Burns found himself in and out of the national side across formats. He wasn't exactly breaking down the door open in domestic cricket either and in 2024, a rude awakening happened as he was omitted from Queensland's contract list ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Burns' career was truly at the crossroads and that's also when a personal tragedy hit him, courtesy the death of his brother Dominic who had harboured dreams of representing their mother's nationality Italy. Dominic's demise left Joe heartbroken and the latter then decided to fulfill a word that he had given to his late brother.
It was a timely moment for Italy as they were on the verge of starting a fresh qualification cycle for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The national side had also recruited a few other seasoned Australian professional cricketers like Ben Manenti, Harry Manenti and Grant Stewart but Burns was arguably the most enticing name on the roster. He was chosen to lead the team and instantly, the former Australian star raised the bar as a performer for the side. Burns turned out in jersey no.85, his brother's last number when he had turned out in club cricket.
On Friday (July 11), Italy secured qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup despite losing their last fixture against Netherlands. The shock win over Scotland and a superior net run rate meant that they pipped Jersey who had also upset the Scots in the tournament. For Joe, it was a moment of fulfillment in terms of the promise and he knows that Dominic is looking down upon him from somewhere with joy and pride.
"I don't think words will ever describe emotions to this team and to this country. Sacrifice, dedication and commitment to a dream. We have walked this path into the unknown together to tour the first World Cup", read Burns' Instagam post shortly after Italy gained qualification.
"I hope this team can be a beacon for everyone to connect through family, through sport and through a shared story."
Italy began their qualification surge in a group that had Luxembourg, Turkey, Isle of Man and France. Relatively, the side had an understandable shortage of cricketing pedigree but the arrival of experienced cricketers led by Burns brought about a change. The game against Luxembourg was a 77-run win for Italy. This was followed by a five-wicket victory over France and a seven-wicket thrashing of Isle of Man.
Italy capped it off with a nine-wicket hammering of Turkiye to make the final where Burns' blistering century saw his side win the summit clash against Romania by a whopping 160-run mark. Burns hammered 108 off just 55 balls to lay the foundation for Italy's monstrous win in the final. It might have only been baby steps then but the team knew that they had a leader who dared to dream big.
Through the next 12 months, Italy grew as a T20 side but in a group that had Scotland and Netherlands alongside Jersey, not many gave Italy a chance with only two spots up for grabs. However, the Italians orchestrated a fantastic heist against the Scots and the element of luck needed came with a washout game against Jersey that gave Burns' lads a crucial point.
Eventually, it came down to net run rate because Italy knew that barring a heavy loss to Netherlands, they'd qualify. As it turned out, they did lose the fixture but it wasn't a drubbing. Apart from the Australian-origin players led by Burns, the Italy side also has players of Asian origin in Jaspreet Singh and Priyantha Kalugamage while Emilio Gay has represented England at junior levels. According to assistant coach and former Ireland interational Kevin O'Brien, this mix of cultures is what binds the team together.
"I think it's coming together, the confidence is high in the group and we've got some very experienced players in the team, experience from all over the world as well," said O'Brien told the ICC.
The road ahead in the 2026 T20 World Cup could well be baptism by fire for Burns' side and he expects no less. However, the Aussie DNA within him is unfazed and with his brothers' dream firmly tucked on his back, the 35-year-old is confident about Italy's future.
"Many of those who walk with us forever be proud. Without them, we never have dared to dream. This is our legacy," wrote Burns on Instagram.
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