T20 WC: 'Tears in eyes' as Italy celebrates landmark win vs Nepal

Following his side's win over Nepal in the ICC T20 World Cup, the coach John Davison and skipper Harry Manenti reflected on this landmark moment in their cricketing history, the emotion amongst the team and background of players who are representing the team for the first time in a ICC World Cup across any format. Mosca brothers, Justin and Anthony, led their team to a thumping 10-wicket win over Nepal in their T20 WC clash in front of passionate fans at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

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An Emotional, Landmark Victory

Speaking during the post-match press conference, Davison, the head coach, said there were "definitely a few tears in the guys' eyes" and that the win meant a lot to the players. "Overriding emotion, there were definitely a few tears in the guys' eyes, definitely meant a lot to a lot of guys out there, particularly the two Mosca boys, obviously being brothers and hitting a hundred, chasing none down, which was a phenomenal effort. It was a phenomenal effort in the field, too. It was pretty interesting that game one nothing went our way, and then today sort of everything went our way, but I think it was a reflection on how brave we were this game, as opposed to our first hit out in the World Cup, which was probably a little bit tentative," he said.

"What does it mean to the Italian cricket? I think it just puts us on it. Yeah, this will be front-page news in many countries and in many publications in Italy. I would imagine I am hoping and for us to get that sort of exposure, and maybe knock off the Winter Olympics off the back page of the sport would be unbelievable for cricket in the country and just bring some attention to us," he added.

A Team of Diverse Heritage

Speaking about the Australian origins of the team's openers, Justin and Anthony, Maneti said there are about a million people in Italy with Australian heritage, as their grandparents moved to Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. He also highlighted his team's connections with England and South Africa. "There's Thomas Drucker as well, who is from Australia, and Grant Stewart, who now plays cricket in England. And the same thing with South Africa. There is a connection there. People in Italy moved to South Africa and Australia. I think it brings us together. We are willing to bring a group of people from around the world to welcome them. As a good example, John Smuts (a former South African cricketer) has just joined our group, and he will say the first thing he feels at home in our group: he feels like an Italian straight away and part of Italian cricket. And we do that with anyone, whether it is a staff member, a player or a person who is helping us here in India with the World Cup. They enjoy spending time with us, and I think that is a pretty special thing to be able to bring a group of people from all over the world and have a real connection," he continued.

Looking Ahead to Bigger Challenges

Coach is not afraid of the challenges during the side's upcoming matches against former champions England and West Indies at Kolkata, Davison said that belief has to be there, and that if "they are timid against the big boys, they will have no chance". "So we have to really try to take it to them. We'll take some learnings from the way Nepal played against England. They took the game to them, and you could see it was actually really interesting to watch: when you put the favourite team under pressure, they tend not to play as well. So that will be our intention," the coach added.

'It Makes You Feel a Bit Emotional': A Win for Family and Heritage

Skipper Maneti said that the team is still a "long way away from facilities, coaching within Italy, opportunities for guys to play cricket, and hopefully that comes from this tournament."

Speaking on his team's reactions and outpouring of love from families after the triumph, Maneti said, "I come from a strong Italian family, and so do all the boys. I opened up my phone once I got in the change rooms, I had messages from my Nonna and from my father, who has Italian heritage. It is really special to represent your family, your family's heritage, and yourself at the World Cup. It's something that very few people in the game get to do. There are 20 teams here, each team has 15 players, and there is a lot more players in the world that play cricket and do not have the privilege that we have today to be able to show what we have got."

"To represent my family, my brother is in the team with me, to be able to play with him in the World Cup for Italy is something that you can't replace. The Moscas are the same. If you could see AJ, there will be some footage that comes out. He was crying, which makes me, even saying it now, it makes you feel a bit emotional to see what it means to each player in that group. I do not think you will see many players cry on the field after a win in the group stages. So I think you have got to appreciate what Italian cricket is bringing to the game. Understand that the passion is slightly different from the Italians, and we will bring that everywhere we go, no matter the level of the tournament or the level of the opposition. To be able to bring a group of players together who have connections with Italy is special and something that would not ever be beaten in my eyes," he added.

Paving a Pathway for Future Generations

Maneti also spoke about how at least 12 of the team's 15 players have to make their living outside cricket, with one player earning money by making pizzas and using it to fund his training. "Hopefully, in a few years' time, if not sooner, the game grows big enough in Italy that we can play. And that is on us, as a playing group, to create those opportunities by winning games and showing the world what we can do. And then it is on other people and the Federation and the ICC and other teams to be willing to play us. At the moment, we're ranked 27th in the world, that has changed today, but we're ranked 27th in the world in a competition of 20 teams. So if you do the maths, we are outsiders every time we play, no matter who we play against, whether it is Nepal or Scotland or England or the West Indies. We will always be the outsiders, which we thrive on and we love," he said.

But the skipper said that the team is not willing to stay low-ranked and want to climb up and play more games for that. "We want other teams to host us and build facilities that host them back. And that's our goal as a team. That will provide opportunities for kids who are currently in Italy learning the game at a school level to see us playing in Rome or Milan or Bologna, wherever it might be, to see what the pathway is and to see Harry Manenti or Anthony Mosca or Crishan, whoever it might be, to be playing a World Cup. And if that is a goal for them, then we have created a pathway for them to follow," he concluded.

Match Summary

The four-time FIFA World Cup champions, Italy, who last won the tournament in 2006, had not qualified for the past two FIFA WCs but have made the T20 World Cup squad. Their last FIFA WC back in 2014 saw them secure a 22nd-place finish and bow out in the group stage.

Italy won the toss and opted to bowl first. Nepal was bundled out for just 123 in 19.3 overs, with Aarif Sheikh (27 in 24 balls, with three fours), skipper Rohit Paudel (23 in 14 balls, with two sixes) and Aasif Sheikh (20 in 20 balls, with two fours) putting on important scores. Crishan Kalugamage (3/18 in four overs) and Ben Manenti (2/9 in four overs) were amongst the top bowlers for Italy.

During the chase, Justin Mosca (60* in 44 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Anthony Mosca (62* in 32 balls, with three fours and six sixes) single-handedly chased down the target, putting in 124 run stand for the first wicket in 12.4 overs. (ANI)