Greece call up Australia's Billy Konstas for T20 WC qualifiers
What's the story
Greece have called up Billy Konstas, the elder brother of Australian cricketer Sam Konstas, to their national cricket team. The move comes as part of Greece's unexpected bid to qualify for the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup. Billy, a 24-year-old grade cricketer from Sydney who also works as a cricket coach and physiotherapist, has been included in Greece's 14-man squad for an upcoming European qualifying event in Finland, starting August 14.
Potential additions
Other Aussie players approached to join team
Along with Billy, another Greek-Aussie leg-spinning all-rounder, Blake Faunce, has been included in the squad.
Faunce, 21, has represented the Australian Capital Territory at age-group level.
The Hellenic Cricket Federation (HCF) has also spoken to Blake Nikitaras and Peter Hatzoglou about joining the team, according to BBC.
While Nikitaras has played first-class cricket for New South Wales and BBL for Sydney Thunder, Hatzoglou is a 27-year-old with significant short-format franchise experience including stints in The Hundred and Pakistan Super League.
Information
The Konstas brothers
As mentioned, Billy Konstas is the brother of Australian batter Sam Konstas, who made his Test debut during the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India. On his debut, in the Boxing Day Test, Sam had an on-field altercation with Jasprit Bumrah before taking him on.
Cricket landscape
Greece's path to T20 World Cup qualification
Greece's cricket scene is largely based on the island of Corfu, where the sport has been played for over 200 years.
The squad for the European qualifier in Finland is mostly made up of players born in Greece.
However, their path to qualify for the T20 World Cup won't be easy, as they are in a group with favorites Germany and Portugal also in their pool.