Italy will finally be playing in the World Cup, but not in the sport most people expect.
In a dark period for the country’s storied but ailing football team, relief has come in the form of an unknown Azzurri cricketer qualifying for his first world tournament.
Italy will join cricketing powers such as India, Australia, England and South Africa in the T20 World Cup, which starts on Saturday.
“Just being there and playing is the end of 45 years of hard work,” Italian Cricket Federation CEO Luca Bruno Malaspina said.
This is a reference to the creation of the sport’s national federation in 1980, but the history of cricket in Italy goes back much further than that, being played by British textile workers from overseas in the late 19th century.
Genoa is Italy’s oldest football club, founded in 1893, when it was called Genoa Cricket and Football Club, and is still called as such today. AC Milan, seven-time European champions, was founded in 1899 by Englishman Herbert Kilpin and was originally known as Milan Football and Cricket Club.
More than a century later, Italy may not have a grass cricket field, but it does have around 4,000 registered male players, around 80 clubs in a two-tier league system and a burgeoning national team made up of players of Italian descent and first- and second-generation Asian immigrants.
For example, South African captain Wayne Madsen qualified thanks to his Italian grandmother.
Or bowler Krishan Kargamage, a Sri Lankan who moved to Italy when he was 15.
Or Marcus Campiano, a British-born wicketkeeper with an Italian father.
The 15-man World Cup squad includes two Australian brothers with Italian family ties, Harry and Benjamin Manenti, and Anthony Mosca and Justin Mosca.
Bruno Malaspina said, “The quality and numbers are improving,” praising the coaching and backroom staff, who are mainly from overseas, for changing their mindset and raising expectations. The head coach is former Canadian cricketer John Davison. He grew up in Australia and played first-class cricket there before becoming a star for the Canadian national team. Former Ireland international batsman Kevin O’Brien will serve as assistant coach.
Italy qualified for the expanded 20-team World Cup through the European regional qualifiers, finishing second behind the Netherlands, and last week defeated Ireland for their first win against a full member of the International Cricket Council, the world governing body for cricket.
Taking advantage of the soccer turmoil
Compare the progress of the national team in cricket with the regression of the football team.
Four-time World Cup winners Italy missed out on qualification to soccer’s biggest competition in both 2018 and 2022 after a surprise loss in the play-offs. The Italian national team is back in the playoffs, aiming to qualify for the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Bruno Malaspina believes cricket is a chance to “exploit” Italy’s shortcomings in football.
The World Cup is “a good way to open up cricket to Italians,” he said on a video call. “We’re not just talking about money…we’re also talking about visibility in the Italian sporting bodies, because they’re starting to learn that cricket is an important sport. There are big numbers all over the world.”
Better infrastructure and professionalism
Italy was recognized as an associate member state by the ICC in 1995 and subsequently by the Italian National Olympic Committee. This was an important step as it enabled cricket to receive government funding.
Qualifying for the World Cup marks the end of a long journey for Italian cricket, but it is also the beginning of a new one.
The lack of domestic cricket infrastructure is a major impediment to progress, with Italy currently “hosting” international matches in other European countries such as the Netherlands and England, but the federation said it was working hard to improve its “very poor” cricket pitches and fund at least one grass ground that could become the spiritual home of Italian cricket. Bruno Malaspina added that the domestic game needs to be more professional and better structured.
“The problem is money and the bureaucratic things that have to be done in Italy,” he said.
According to Bruno Malaspina, the federation is currently Proposing European T20 Premier League There is a possibility of opening a franchise in Italy in 2027.
He also hopes to inspire the next generation by enrolling in an Italian school, teaching children the rules and culture of cricket, and encouraging them to join local clubs.
against England in the World Cup
However, in the short term, Italian cricket is poised to enjoy its breakthrough moment. The team will be in Group C of the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and will face Scotland, Nepal, England and West Indies.
The game Italy is least likely to win stands out against England.
Bruno Malaspina said: “For the players and the cricket community, the match against England is the most important thing for us. I’m not talking about the result. It’s not the result. The difference is too big.”
“But England…what can I say? England is cricket.”
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