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Greece Drafts Billy Konstas Into Squad for Finland T20 Qualifier

The selection is part of a deliberate plan to recruit Australian players of Greek descent to strengthen Greece’s bid to reach the 2028 T20 World Cup.

Overview

  • Billy Konstas was named in Greece’s 14‑man squad on Wednesday and will be part of the team for the European sub‑regional qualifier in Finland from 14 to 21 August.
  • The Hellenic Cricket Federation is actively targeting Australian players with Greek heritage, and the Finland squad already includes fellow GreekAustralian Blake Faunce.
  • Talks with higher‑profile AustralianGreek players such as Blake Nikitaras and Peter Hatzoglou are ongoing but those players are not yet available or eligible for selection.
  • Greece have been drawn with favourites Germany and a Portugal side that may feature veteran Moises Henriques, making the pool a difficult first hurdle to clear.
  • Officials say they will prioritise homegrown development—around two‑thirds of the named Finland squad were born in Greece—while using diaspora recruits to raise the team’s competitiveness and profile after Sam Konstas’s high‑profile Test debut boosted public interest.