Italy ease past Nepal to clinch historic T20 World Cup victory

Traditionally a footballing nation and considered cricket minnows, Italy entered the event as the lowest-ranked team among the 20 participants.

They had lost their opening match against Scotland and were missing skipper Wayne Madsen, sidelined with a dislocated shoulder.

After winning the toss, Italy opted to field and produced a disciplined bowling performance that dismantled Nepal for just 123 runs. Crishan Kalugamage was the standout, claiming 3 wickets for 18 runs, including the dismissal of captain Rohit Paudel for 23.

Ben Manenti, who also opened the bowling, took 2 wickets for 9 runs, including Aasif Sheikh for 20.

Aarif Sheikh tried to rebuild the innings with 27, but Nepal collapsed from 93-3 to all out in 19.3 overs, a stark contrast to their previous showing against England.

Italy's openers then dominated the chase. Justin Mosca struck 60 while Anthony Mosca contributed 62, combining for 8 fours and 9 sixes to see Italy over the line with 44 balls to spare.

The emphatic win propelled Italy to third place in Group C, leapfrogging England to fourth, while the West Indies remain atop the group.

The result signals a major statement from the Italian side, showing they are capable of competing on the global stage despite their cricketing underdog status.

"It's pretty extraordinary really. It's something a lot of people in Italy, a lot of people in this group, have dreamed of," Italy's stand-in skipper Harry Manenti said.

“We didn't quite nail it the other day but we backed up today and showed the world what we've got.”