Italy’s Cricket Renaissance Begins in T20 World Cup
As most of the grounds in Italy use AstroTurf pitches, the team had an extensive preparatory camp in the UAE before landing in India.
Chennai: Italy could not have chosen a more fitting jersey for their maiden ICC World T20 appearance. Drawing inspiration from Renaissance-era floral motifs, the classic blue shirt perfectly captures the spirit of cricket’s long-awaited revival in the European country.
Cricket first arrived on Italian shores with British sailors in the late 18th century and started flourishing with the participation of historic clubs in Genoa and Milan. However, the sport suffered a dramatic decline during the World Wars. The year 2025 marked a turning point, with Italy scripting a remarkable resurgence by securing their World Cup berth through the European qualifiers.
Italy will make their World Cup debut on February 9 at Eden Gardens against Scotland. Led by 42-year-old South African-born Wayne Madsen, the team is a cultural melting pot, with players of origins from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Australia and the UK. Former international cricketers John Davison (Canada) and Kevin O’Brien (Ireland) are part of the coaching staff.
“The bond that we have as a group is really special. There’s definitely an amazing vibe around the team,” said Madsen after Italy’s warm-up win over Canada at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
More than half of the Italian squad are semi-professionals. "They have been juggling jobs and have sacrificed so much to be able to come here to this World Cup and perform on this stage. Their journeys bring us together as a team,” added Madsen who represented South Africa at the 2006 Hockey World Cup.
The Italian cricket team, also known as the Azzurri, are nowhere close to football in terms of popularity back home. However, the cricketers say their historic World Cup appearance could come as a soothing balm if the football team fail to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the third time in a row.
Ben Manenti, the Australian-born cricketer who qualifies to represent Italy as a citizen by descent, expects a strong fan following for the World T20.
“There’s a lot of cricket in Italy these days. Fans are very passionate. The Italian football team might not be in the World Cup, so they might only have one World Cup this year, and they would better get behind us. I think we will surprise a lot of people. I think many will like to see us beat teams like England, West Indies and Scotland, and hopefully a few more,” said Manenti.
Coach O’Brien said the football team "might look at the success the cricket players have had in the last couple of months and take inspiration.”
As most of the grounds in Italy use AstroTurf pitches, the team had an extensive preparatory camp in the UAE before landing in India.
“There are no grass pitches in Italy, so it’s a big adjustment when we go out and play big matches. We have had some really good preparation in Dubai over the last couple of weeks. We have had a couple of good wins against Ireland and Namibia in the T20Is and Namibia in a practice game. We are starting to build a lot of confidence in the group and find our ways and methods to win games,” said Madsen.
Manenti feels their World Cup sojourn will be a shot in the arm for cricket in Europe. “Hopefully this sets up a lot of cricket in the future and gives us better access to improved grounds and facilities so we can train properly all year round. And with the launch of the European league, I think it’s only getting bigger,” he added.
