Hailing from a strong cricketing family, with uncles
Henry Fotheringham, Michael Madsen, Trevor Madsen and cousin Greg Fotheringham all playing
first-class cricket in South Africa, Madsen made his debut in 2003 for
KwaZulu-Natal cricket team. In August 2009 he signed his contract with Derbyshire, following a strong run of form with two centuries in four games. He captained Derbyshire for four seasons; in the 2012 season, Derbyshire were promoted from
County Championship Division Two to Division One. After gaining UK citizenship in February 2015, Madsen announced that he hoped to represent
England in the future. Ahead of the 2016 season, he signed a contract extension until 2019. He also stepped down as Derbyshire's County Championship captain, and was replaced by
Billy Godleman. Madsen later signed a contract extension with Derbyshire until 2022. On 31 May 2022, in the
T20 Blast against the
Yorkshire Vikings, Madsen played in his 400th match for Derbyshire. On 3 July 2022, also in the T20 Blast, Madsen scored his first century in Twenty20 cricket, with 100
not out against
Durham. Madsen was included in the Italy squad in 2023 T20 WC European regional final. Madsen was reappointed as Derbyshire captain in March 2025. In December 2025, Madsen was appointed captain of Italy ahead of the
2026 Men's T20 World Cup, their first appearance in the competition, replacing
Joe Burns. In the first match of the World Cup, against
Scotland, Madsen dislocated his shoulder, bringing doubts to his further participation in the remaining tournament. ==Hockey career==