At one time, Joe Burns was known as Australia's test opener. The same batsman said in May this year that he is going to play cricket for Italy. Barnes has also been made the captain of the Italy team this time.
Born in Brisbane, Burns' mother is of Italian descent. So he got permission to play for Italy on the basis of his mother. He also made his debut last June. Last May, he said that he decided to play for Italy to pay tribute to his brother's death.
The 34-year-old was very proud of his new role as captain, saying, 'I feel proud to have this responsibility and to represent Italy at the international level. For me it's going back to my roots. Cricket in Italy has a lot of potential and I am thrilled to contribute to its development. With teammates, we are working together to achieve ambitious goals and make fans proud.'
He has played 5 T20s for Italy so far. He scored 211 runs at an average of 70.33 and a strike rate of 144.52. He played an explosive 55-ball 108 in Group 'A' victory over Romania in the ICC Regional European Qualifier. Also interested in franchise cricket. He has been signed by Dubai Capitals for the upcoming season in the UAE International T20 League. Apart from Big Bash, he also participated in Vitalisti Blast.
