Italy claim their maiden T20 World Cup win, beat Nepal
What's the story
In an anti-climax, Italy beat Nepal by 10 wickets in their 2026 ICC T20 World Cup encounter at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Italy, who claimed their first-ever win in the tournament, showed complete dominance by bowling out Nepal for 123. Openers Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca then annihilated the Nepal bowling attack. Nepal showed promise against England, only to lose their second successive match.
Nepal
Nepal battered by slow approach
Nepal, who were invited to bat, had a quiet start. They lost Kushal Bhurtel in the second over. However, his partner Aasif Sheikh fared better with a run-a-ball 20. Aarif Sheikh was the top scorer for his side with 27 runs, while skipper Rohit Paudel contributed 23 (14). The team's 100 runs came only in the 16th over, highlighting their slow approach.
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Nepal bowled out for 123
While the Italian bowlers reduced Nepal to 102/8, Karan KC added a crucial 11-ball 18* at the death. Nepal were eventually bowled out in the final over, posting a below-par total (123).
Bowling
Terrific bowling from Italy
Italy's bowlers, especially their spinners Ben Manenti and Crishan Kalugamage, were instrumental in restricting Nepal to a low total. Manenti took two wickets for just nine runs in four overs, bowling as many as 18 dot balls. Meanwhile, Kalugamage claimed a three-fer for 18 runs in his four-over spell. The latter chipped in with the pivotal wickets of Paudel, Airee, and Gulsan Jha.
Chase
Mosca brothers lead Italy to victory
Italy's chase was led by the Mosca brothers, who were aggressive from the start. Anthony Mosca hit a six in the first over itself, while Justin joined in soon after. The duo continued to attack, taking Italy 68/0 in six overs. This is the highest powerplay score by an Associate nation without losing a wicket in a T20 World Cup match.
Victory
The Azzurri make history
Both Anthony and Justin brought up their half-centuries on successive balls in the 11th over, bowled by Sandeep Lamichhane. In no time, the duo took the Azzurri to a famous 10-wicket victory. Justin Mosca hammered an unbeaten 60 off 44 balls (5 fours and 3 sixes), while his brother finished with a 32-ball 62* (3 fours and 6 sixes).
Numbers
Record partnership for the duo
Anthony and Justin stitched an unbeaten 124-run stand, the highest between siblings in T20 World Cups, according to Cricbuzz. They surpassed the 96-run partnership between Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal against Australia from 2014. This was also only the third 100-plus opening stand for an Associate team in T20 World Cup history.
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Italy's maiden T20 World Cup match
As mentioned, Italy won their maiden T20 World Cup match. This was also the first 10-wicket win for Italy in the format. Overall, this was the second 10-wicket win for an Associate team in T20 World Cups.
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Italy ascend in Group C
Believe it or not! Italy are just above fourth-placed England in Group C. They have a superior Net Run Rate (-0.352) than England (-0.650). West Indies (1st) and Scotland (2nd) are above Italy in the standings. Bottom-placed Nepal are nearly eliminated.