Greece call up Australia Test opener Sam Konstas’ elder brother Billy for 2028 T20 World Cup qualifier

Greece’s decision to tap into their sizeable Australian diaspora – in excess of 400,000 people in the country have Greek ancestry – will inevitably draw some comparisons with Italy.

The Azzurri participated in their maiden T20 World Cup earlier this year having come through sub-regional qualifying.

None of Italy’s squad at that tournament were born in the country, and they picked five Aussie-Italians including two sets of brothers – the Manentis and Moscas.

Senior figures involved with the Greek federation, though, have told BBC Sport they will exercise a degree of caution over the ongoing integration of Australian players with Greek heritage such as Konstas.

Greece’s cricket scene is largely centred around the island of Corfu, where the sport has been played for more than two centuries and developing homegrown talent with a pathway to the national team is seen as a major priority.

Around two-thirds of their squad, overseen by coach Tim Dellor, for the European qualifier in Finland, were born in Greece.

Their party also includes a couple of UK-based players in Dimitrios Triandafillithis and Christodoulos Bogdanos, who both play club cricket in Yorkshire.

Greece’s attempts to get past the first qualification hurdle for the T20 World Cup will not be straightforward, having been drawn in a group with favourites Germany.

Also in their pool are Portugal, who are set to be bolstered by the presence of veteran former Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques, who was born in Madeira.

BBC Sport understands Portugal may also be able to call upon opening batter Ricardo Vasconcelos, depending on his commitments with Northamptonshire.