Burns eyes legacy with Italy step away from T20 World Cup

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."

Burns' desire to play for Italy has allowed him to connect with his heritage.

His grandfather was an Italian POW, who left the country with his wife in the years which followed the Second World War.

They hailed from a small town in the commune of Delianuova, in Calabria, in the 'toe' of southwest Italy.

His mother - Grazia - was born in Brisbane but Burns says he always "felt Italian" growing up with memories of attending church, following Serie A and special afternoon lunches on Sundays.

"I grew up with Italian traditions and that Italian connection," Burns said.

"So it's nice to, I guess, combine the two loves of family and cricket and be able to play on the world stage. I'm at in this stage of my career, it's really reinvigorating for the love of the game."

Burns has quietly followed the cricket fortunes of Azzurri for a long time, and first made contact with the Federazione Cricket Italiana in 2009.

His grandfather passed away before he was born but his late grandmother did see him play international cricket.

He continued: "I remember my 'nonna' watching when I played for Australia, and she was always asking my mum what was going on and asking why I was hitting the ball in the air when I was nicking it to the slips!

"I'm sure she's looking on very proudly now I'm playing for Italy. I hope the Italian cricket team is a bit of a beacon for Italians around the world."

One of the main reasons Burns decided to play for Italy was in tribute to his brother, Dominic, who passed away last year.

"Really, it's my two life communities that are helping me and my family through a tough time," he said.

"I look at that Italian shirt and it gives me a lot of strength. And it's not just me, but as I said, there's 14 other guys that have very similar stories."