Henriques chasing 'cricket nirvana' with Portugal

Moises Henriques, a former Australian cricketer, is chasing cricket's ultimate dream by spearheading Portugal's men's T20 World Cup bid. The 39-year-old, who played for Australia between 2009 and 2021, has now made his homeland, Portugal, his new team. Henriques, born in Funchal, Madeira, moved to Australia at the age of two and credits cricket with giving him confidence when he was a child.

Portugal, currently ranked 37th, will compete in a European sub-regional tournament in Finland, where they must first overcome Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, and Israel. Henriques says the ideal outcome would be to replicate Italy's maiden T20 World Cup appearance, but acknowledges the challenge of doing so in the World Cup. The forward-thinking cricketer is confident that Portugal's squad, including players with professional experience like Cameron Shekleton and Craig Cachopa, will bring high-level cricket to the qualifier.

Henriques, who will also play for Glasgow Cosmic in the inaugural European T20 Premier League, acknowledges the difficulty of playing on an artificial pitch for the first time after 25 years. Despite the challenges, Henriques is excited about the prospect of representing his country and growing the sport in Portugal and Europe.