In a landmark moment for Italian cricket, brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca have steered Twenty20 World Cup debutants Italy to their historic first tournament victory. Their unbeaten half-centuries powered a commanding 10-wicket triumph over Nepal in a Group C encounter on Thursday in Mumbai.
Brothers Create World Cup History
Justin Mosca struck 60 runs while Anthony contributed 62, becoming the first siblings ever to score half-centuries in the same T20 World Cup match. Remarkably, Italy achieved this milestone despite being a nation without a single natural cricket pitch. The Mosca brothers, who hail from the Moorebank area of Sydney and reside in New South Wales, chased down Nepal's target of 124 with a staggering 44 balls remaining.
Bowling Excellence Sets the Stage
Italy's decision to bowl first proved inspired as their spinners systematically dismantled Nepal's batting lineup. Crishan Kalugamage delivered an exceptional performance with figures of 3-18, while Sydney Sixers' Ben Manenti claimed 2-9. The bowlers consistently took wickets at regular intervals, preventing Nepal from establishing any substantial partnerships.
Player of the match Kalugamage made the crucial breakthrough by dismissing Nepal captain Rohit Paudel for 23 runs. This pivotal wicket helped restrict Nepal to a modest total of 123, setting the stage for Italy's historic chase.
Aggressive Opening Partnership
Despite the absence of their captain Wayne Madsen, who dislocated his shoulder during Monday's loss to Scotland, the Italian openers approached their innings with remarkable confidence. Justin Mosca launched an aggressive assault from the outset, smashing three sixes and three boundaries to propel Italy to 50 without loss in just four overs.
He reached his half-century off 37 balls during the 11th over, and Anthony immediately responded by hitting a six on the very next delivery to bring up his own fifty. The brothers maintained their dominance throughout the innings, with Anthony scoring the winning run with a shot toward cover in the 12.4th over, taking Italy to 124 without loss.
Emotional Celebrations and Sacrifices
As Anthony secured the winning run, his teammates rushed onto the field in jubilant celebration of this milestone victory. The emotional significance was particularly profound for Kalugamage, a Sri Lankan-born pizza baker whose voice trembled during the post-match presentation.
'I always wanted to help the team win and do my best for my nation Italy... it's a massive moment for me after a lot of sacrifices,' Kalugamage expressed, capturing the sentiment of a team that has overcome significant obstacles to achieve World Cup success.
Looking Ahead to England Challenge
Italy now prepares for their next challenge against former champions England in Kolkata on Monday. This victory provides crucial momentum as they face one of cricket's traditional powerhouses in their inaugural ICC T20 World Cup campaign.
Other World Cup Action
In concurrent T20 World Cup action in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, the co-hosts demonstrated their batting prowess with a comprehensive 105-run victory over Oman. Batsmen Kusal Mendis (61), Pavan Rathnayake (60), and captain Dasun Shanaka (50 off 19 balls) all scored half-centuries as the 2014 champions posted an imposing total of 225/5 in their 20 overs.
'We're very pleased about the way we batted today,' Shanaka remarked in his post-match interview. 'We used the conditions really well. Pavan and Kusal planned the innings well and helped me and Kamindu Mendis provide the finishing touches. I'm happy with both the batting and bowling performances.'
