Italy's dreamlike narrative quakes at Wankhede

Italy's dreamlike narrative quakes at Wankhede

Italy made a loud announcement of their arrival in their debut World Cup. The European team, which qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time after qualifying, defeated favourites Nepal by 10 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chains with the ball and aggression with the bat - Italy's performance was, in a word, amazing.


Nepal was under pressure from the start of the match. Despite winning the toss and opting to bat, their innings never found momentum in front of Italy's controlled bowling. Nepal, who were losing wickets at regular intervals, were eventually restricted to 123 runs in 19.3 overs. Arif Sheikh scored the highest 27 runs. Captain Rohit Paudel played a stormy innings of 23 runs off 14 balls, but it could not turn into a big score. Although Karan KC's 18 runs towards the end gave a hint of a fight, Italy was in control of the match by then.
Leg-spinner Krishan Kalugamage was the main architect of Nepal's collapse. Nepal's middle order was disoriented by his whirlwind. He was the man of the match for taking 3 wickets for just 18 runs in 4 overs. Ben Menetti supported him well, taking 2 wickets for 9 runs.

Chasing a target of 124 runs, Italy showed a completely different face. Not taking any risks, and not being unnecessarily slow either—the two openers Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca were confident from the start. They attacked the Nepal bowlers and built an unbroken 124-run partnership in the opening pair. Italy left the field with victory in 12.4 overs.

Justin scored 60 runs off 44 balls, which included 5 fours and 3 sixes. Anthony was more aggressive—62 not out, 3 fours and 6 sixes in the innings. This was Italy's highest opening pair and the second highest partnership in T20 history overall.

Interestingly, Italy had lost to Scotland by 73 runs in the previous match. The team's mental fortitude in overcoming that disappointment is a testament to their resilience. After such a dominant win in their debut World Cup, their eyes are now on the next match—the opponent England. With this confidence from Wankhede, is there another surprise waiting? That question is now going around in the cricket world.

Short Scores
Nepal 123 (19.3 overs)
Italy 124/0 (12.4 overs)
Result: Italy won by 10 wickets
Man of the Match: Krishan Kalugamage

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