Italy cricket team at training. (Photo by special agreement)
New Delhi: Cricket arrived in Italy long before it even found an audience.Introduced by British sailors, diplomats and merchants, the game took root in pockets of Italian society before being overshadowed by football and later by political ideology. For decades she survived on the fringes, supported by compatriots and a small group of “believers”. Yet the sport never disappeared.On February 9, Italy take on Scotland at the iconic Eden Gardens, who have appeared in the last four editions of the T20 World Cup but are only playing this one because Bangladesh have withdrawn. Italy are in Group C of the 2026 T20 World Cup along with Scotland, England, Nepal and the West Indies.
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The team reflects a remarkable mix of cultures and life stories with players hailing from different countries and continents. Alongside Italians of Indian origin, there are players with Pakistani and Sri Lankan roots, as well as from South Africa, England and Australia. Their ratios are very different. Some make a living from the game, others balance semi-professional commitments or franchise cricket, while some juggle cricket with day jobs, from teaching and physiotherapy to working in a hotel.The Azzurri will be led by 42-year-old Wayne Madsen. The 15-man squad also includes former South African international JJ Smuts and two pairs of brothers, Harry Manenti and Benjamin Manenti and Anthony Mosca and Justin Mosca.The captain is excited and warned that they won’t throw themselves.“We want to win matches and we believe we have the quality to play good cricket,” Madsen told TimesofIndia.com from Dubai, where they played the three-match series against Ireland.“The boys have been together for a while and our preparation has been very good so we are confident and hopeful.
History
Italy qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time. (Photo by special agreement)
Cricket in Italy goes back centuries.Admiral Horatio Nelson arrived in Naples in 1793 with the clear objective of securing reinforcements for the British Mediterranean fleet during the war against revolutionary France. The mission was successful and more than 6,000 Neapolitan troops were sent to Toulon to support the British. During their stay in the Kingdom of Naples, Nelson and the sailors aboard HMS Agamemnon found ways to fill their spare time, leading to what is believed to be the first recorded cricket match played on Italian soil.A century later, in 1893, English consuls founded the Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club. Initially focused on cricket, the club’s direction changed in 1897 when James Richardson Spensley struggled in football. Genoa soon became more famous for this new sport and in 1898 won the first Italian football championship.In 1899, Herbert Kilpin, believed to be the first English footballer to play abroad, met businessman Alfred Edwards in a Florentine tavern and convinced him to finance the new club. Founded as Milan Cricket and Football Club, this club later became AC Milan. While cricket initially formed part of its identity, it was abandoned in 1919 as football took precedence.Although cricket made a brief resurgence in the 1960s through informal tournaments in Rome, its English origins and the political climate in Italy ensured that it remained on the fringes and was increasingly regarded as a historical curiosity rather than a live sport.
Cricket in Italy is growing from the ground up. Schools are the starting point and through initiatives such as the Scuola Attiva project, the number of schools involved in cricket continues to grow.
Luca Bruno Malaspina, CEO of the Italian Cricket Federation
Luca Bruno Malaspina, CEO of the Italian Cricket Federation, says cricket has found its second wind in Italy and they are targeting schools as a starting point to popularize the sport.“Cricket in Italy is growing from the ground up. Schools are the starting point and through initiatives like the Scuola Attiva project, the number of schools involved in cricket is constantly growing,” Malaspina tells TimesofIndia.com.“This is where the connection with local communities begins, we introduce the sport to young people, build familiarity and change cricket from something that is perceived as foreign to a game that feels more and more Italian.”
Italy’s turning point
Italy will make their T20 World Cup debut against Bangladesh on February 9 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. (Photo by special agreement)
Interestingly, if you are a young Italian, you will witness the Italian cricket team playing the World Cup before the Azzurri take part in the FIFA World Cup. Italian football is in shambles, having failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup – the first time since 1958 – and then again in 2022. They are now in danger of missing out on the 2026 edition.Jaspreet Singh, who hails from Phagwara in Punjab and moved to Italy in 2006, was at the center of the most coveted moment in Italian cricket history on July 11. Jaspreet bowled the last ball of the Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier against the Netherlands. Although Italy lost the match by nine goals, it sealed Italy’s first-ever qualification for the 2026 U20 Men’s World Cup.Jaspreet started by playing informal tape-ball games before finding his way to Bergamo Cricket Club, located about 40 minutes’ drive from his home in Telgate, a town about 60 kilometers northeast of Milan. His performances in competitions organized by the Italian Cricket Federation since the 2016–17 season helped accelerate his rise, leading to his international debut in 2019. Now based mostly in Birmingham, Jaspreet trains there and plays in the Birmingham District Premier League. He was forced to give up his job as an Uber driver in the UK to pursue his cricket career.The 32-year-old says the build-up to the World Cup has been spot on for the team and he can’t wait to live out his childhood dream. “We had a very good training camp in Dubai in November, after which some of the team traveled to Sri Lanka for another camp. We then returned to Dubai in mid-January and played our first bilateral series against Ireland, where we achieved our first ever win against a Test-playing nation. We followed that up with another win against Namibia.”“The boys have worked extremely hard. We also have a few warm-up games scheduled in India, so overall we are very happy with our preparation,” he told TimesofIndia.com.While the Italian Cricket Federation places great importance on the legacy of this tournament and the qualification process, the aim is to bring cricket back into the hearts and minds of the Italian sports-loving public and encourage young Italian boys and girls to take it up.Plans have been put in place and the federation would now, much more than before, actively seek to encourage players of Italian origin and connections to come and play for the Azzurri in a bid to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup.Lorea Haz Paz, president of the Italian Cricket Federation, reflects on Italy’s landmark success as a reward for years of dedication, sacrifice and steady progress, stressing that the moment belonged to the players and the wider Italian cricket community more than any individual.“July 11 was a moment of immense joy. I mean not only myself but the work done by the players, the years of dedication, sacrifices and continuous growth. The happiness was purely for them and for all the Italian cricketers who have been waiting for this milestone for a long time,” Haz Paz told TimesofIndia.com.
Brains for the Renaissance
Italy will be led by Wayne Madsen at the World T20. (Photo by special agreement)
As already mentioned, the roots of Italian cricket are essentially English. Still, the team is a mix of immigrants from across the cricketing world. Behind-the-scenes staff mirrors this diversity. Head coach John Davison played for Canada in the 2003 ODI World Cup and scored a 67-ball hundred against the West Indies. Then there’s Kevin O’Brien, who has already been part of some World Cup epics for Ireland as an all-rounder, including a 50-ball set against England in the 2011 ODI World Cup.Rakbir Hasan, a media manager, hails from Dhaka and is most likely the only representative of his native country.Hasan, a tragic cricketer himself, explains how John Davison, Kevin O’Brien and Dougie Brown prepared the Italian team to be ready for battle.“Their experience is hugely valuable. Davison, O’Brien and Dougie Brown have all played at World Cups before. They bring a level of professionalism and tactical awareness that is crucial in tournaments of this scale. They understand the pressures, pace and small details that make a difference at this level and that experience is something the whole group benefits from, especially the younger players,” he says.Despite its rich and deep history in Italy, cricket was no longer at the forefront of Italian sporting culture. The sport once lost to fascism because Benito Mussolini considered it un-Italian. But it fought back and is now ready to make some noise.
