Joe Burns says Italy’s cricketers have the chance to “create a legacy” as he attempts to guide the European nation to their first ever World Cup.
Opening batter Burns, 35, made four centuries in 23 Tests for Australia between 2014 and 2020 but made himself available to play for Italy last year, qualifying through his grandparents.
He has since been appointed captain of Italy, who will battle it out with Guernsey, Jersey, Scotland and the Netherlands in a European regional qualifier for next year’s 2026 T20 World Cup.
The two teams who finish top of the round-robin tournament held in the Hague between 5 to 11 July will qualify for the event in India and Sri Lanka.
“We’re very confident that if we play to our best, we’ll be going to a World Cup,” Burns told BBC Sport.
“It’s not lost on us the magnitude of the impact we can have on Italian cricket. We talk a lot as a team about creating a legacy for the generations to come after us.
“To wear the Italian cap at a World Cup would make us a groundbreaking team. And we think we’ve got the team to get there.”
The first recorded game in Italy was played in Naples in 1793 by sailors from the fleet of Lord Nelson, and today there are more than 3,500 competitive players and in excess of 100 clubs.
They are currently 32nd in the International Cricket Council world rankings but do not have any proper turf pitches.
Italy’s squad have prepared for the tournament with a short training camp in Rome, some friendlies on grass in Horsham before warm-up games in the Netherlands.
Burns said there is a “huge opportunity” for cricket, and T20 in particular, to really grow in Italy and qualifying for the T20 World Cup could prove to be a major catalyst.
“I feel like Associate cricket is very much the grassroots of international cricket,” Burns added.
“But I really think that in 30, 40 or 50 years from now, Italy could be a massive player in world cricket.
“Playing Tests for Australia it was about the history that you’re honouring, and you’re carrying on in the traditions of the past, but when you play for Italy, it’s a blank canvas and you shape the future.”