T20 World Cup 2026: Italy thumps Nepal to get WC campaign back on track

Fans turned up in large numbers at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday to cheer for Nepal. But in the end, it turned out to be a heartbreak for them as Italy assessed the conditions perfectly and pulled off a 10-wicket win to put its T20 World Cup campaign back on track.

Coming on the back of a defeat against Scotland in its opening fixture, not many expected Italy to put Nepal on the mat. But, with spinners Benjamin Manenti and Crishan Kalugamage making optimum use of the turning track and restricting Nepal to a paltry 123, it turned out to be a cakewalk for Italy.

And as the surface eased out, a 124-run partnership between openers Anthony Mosca (62 not out, 32b, 3×4, 6×6) and Justin Mosca (60 not out, 44b, 5×4, 3×6) saw Italy chase down the target without breaking a sweat.

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It was an emotional moment for the Mosca brothers, who denied Nepal a chance of a fightback with their aggressive batting, and guided the team home in just 12.4 overs to not only grab crucial points but also improve its Net Run Rate.

As they dealt in sixes and fours, none of the Nepal bowlers could find a breakthrough. Justin and Anthony’s partnership was the highest between siblings in the T20 World Cups, surpassing Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal’s 96-run partnership against Australia in 2014.

Before the brothers hogged the limelight and stunned Nepal, which came on the back of a narrow defeat against England, spinners Manenti and Kalugamage dominated the show as they did not allow Nepal to put up a big total.

Nepal lost wickets at regular intervals, despite five of its batters getting to double digits. As Manenti claimed two wickets, conceding just nine runs, it paved the way for Italy’s first-ever win in a cricket World Cup.

Published on Feb 12, 2026