After emigrating to Canada, Brisbane made his debut for the national team in September 1964, playing against the United States in the annual Auty Cup fixture. He was a regular in the team throughout the 1960s and 1970s, participating in tours of England and the West Indies and playing matches against various touring international sides. At the 1979 ICC Trophy in England, Brisbane was appointed Canada's captain, aged 41. However, he missed two of his team's games (against Fiji and Bermuda, with Bryan Mauricette substituting. His best performance at the tournament came against Bangladesh, when he scored 34 runs. Canada finished runner-up to Sri Lanka, qualifying for the 1979 World Cup, but Brisbane did not return to the team for that event. He was inducted into the Canadian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2014.