Francisco Couana

Francisco Couana is an exciting All-rounder from Maputo, the capital of emerging associate nation, Mozambique. A hard-hitting Right-handed Batsman that bats anywhere in the top order, he is a clean striker of the ball with an unusual off-side bias for his power hitting. Whilst his batting is raw and brutal, there is a lot of upward curve with his Right-arm Fast seam bowling, with an energetic, athletic and powerful action generating genuine pace.

Identified very young as one of the best young players in the country, he was selected for the Mozambique U19 side at just 13 years old for the 2010 African Championships. His National team debut followed just 2 years later as a 15-year-old. Francisco was named in Mozambique’s Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2019 T20 Kwacha Cup, games that were to be the first official T20I matches to be played by Mozambique upon the International Cricket Council (ICC) granting T20I status to all matches played between Associate Members, his debut came against hosts Malawi.

Francisco has gone on to represent Mozambique in 38 T20I matches since his debut and in 2021, became the first International Cricketer to score a Hundred and take 5-for in the same T20I match, with 104 (51) & figures of 5-19 (4) as Mozambique defeated Cameroon by 171 runs. In the process he also became the first player from Mozambique to score an International hundred.

A keen coach, currently completing his ICC coaching qualification, Francisco has been a major contributor to the national team from a coaching perspective as well, with his tireless and unwavering commitment to both the Men’s & Ladies National teams a real credit to him. He’ll be a great pick up for a club seeking a seamer with genuine pace that can wield the willow next summer in his first venture to the UK in 2025.