Moises Henriques to Captain Portugal in T20 World Cup Qualifying

A former Australia all-rounder is about to lead the world's 37th-ranked cricket team into a World Cup qualifier. Moises Henriques will captain Portugal at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Finland, where a place in the next stage of qualifying is on the line. (ICC; Reuters)

Portugal have been drawn in Group B of the 10-team tournament alongside Czech Republic, Germany, Greece and Israel. If they progress, the next hurdle is a European final regional qualifier against Scotland, Jersey and Denmark next year. Two teams from Europe will ultimately qualify for the men's T20 World Cup under the new format. (ICC)

Henriques, 38, was born in Lisbon and raised in Australia, where he played ODIs and T20s for the national side. He returned to Madeira last year for the first time since leaving and told the BBC's Stumped podcast that he "felt really connected to the place." (BBC)

The squad is not short on experience. Cameron Shekleton, a 26-year-old batter, has played first-class cricket in South Africa and appeared for the Proteas A side. Craig Cachopa, 34, is a former New Zealand Under-19 captain who represented Sussex, Auckland and Wellington. Henriques said he was "quietly and pleasantly surprised" by the quality of the players around him. (BBC)

The conditions, though, will be unfamiliar. Henriques will play on an artificial pitch in Finland — his first synthetic wicket in roughly 25 years. He is also recovering from back surgery about five months ago, which makes bowling off a full run-up on that surface a genuine challenge. (BBC)

There is a lighter side. Henriques joked that he might get a helicopter pad named after him if he can steer Portugal to the men's T20 World Cup. It is a long road from a sub-regional qualifier on an artificial pitch in Finland to that stage, but the ambition is there. (BBC)

After the qualifier, Henriques is set to play for Glasgow Cosmic in the inaugural European T20 Premier League — a new franchise competition that signals cricket's continuing spread across the continent. (BBC)

The full interview with Henriques can be heard on the BBC's Stumped podcast.