A former Australia player with four Test centuries to his credit, Burns made it to the Italian squad due to his mother’s heritage. It helped him pull through a personally challenging phase which included dealing with the death of his brother, Dominic.
“For me, it was an opportunity to unite family and cricket, and I think for our group, everyone has a really similar story to that.
“We did a great culture piece in Rome (in the build-up to the Qualifier), about who we are, where we come from, understanding each other’s families and sacrifices made,” he said.
Former Canada international John Davidson is the head coach of the team, with ex-Scotland international Dougie Brown and Ireland star Kevin O’Brien as his assistants.
“I’ve seen a group of players who have grown and developed into a really close-knit group,” O’Brien said.
“That can be difficult with players coming from different parts of the world, but the common joining force with this squad is the Italian heritage.
“I’ve seen the guys improve, and that is not only with their cricket skills, it’s all the other things that you need to be successful in international cricket, like attitude, fitness, awareness, cricket smarts, and work ethic,” he added.