Sydney-born brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca have guided T20 World Cup debutants Italy to their first win in the tournament, as their unbeaten half-centuries secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal on Thursday.
Justin (60) and Anthony (62) became the first brothers to score half-centuries in the same T20 World Cup match, as Italy, a country without a single natural cricket pitch, chased down a target of 124 with 44 balls to spare to win the Group C contest.
Italy’s decision to bowl first in Mumbai paid off when their spinners shut down Nepal’s attempts to get a partnership going, with Crishan Kalugamage (3-18) and Sydney Sixers player Benjamin Manenti (2-9) getting wickets at regular intervals.
Player of the match Kalugamage dismissed Nepal captain Rohit Paudel (23) and helped restrict Nepal to a meagre total of 123.
Anthony Mosca hit the winning runs for Italy in their 10-wicket victory over Nepal. (Getty Images: Pankaj Nangia)
The Italian openers, undeterred by the absence of their captain Wayne Madsen who dislocated his shoulder during Monday’s loss to Scotland, started aggressively with Justin Mosca hitting three sixes and three boundaries to help his team reach 0-50 in four overs.
He reached 50 off 37 balls in the 11th over, and Anthony hit a six in the next delivery to reach his own half-century.
Anthony scored the winning run with a shot towards cover, getting Italy to 0-124 in 12.4 overs, as his teammates rushed onto the field to celebrate their milestone victory.
“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, a Sri Lankan-born pizza baker, said as his voice shook during the post-match presentation.
Italy next face former champions England in Kolkata on Monday.
In Thursday’s other matches, Sri Lanka defeated Oman by 105 runs, and India defeated Namibia by 93 runs.
Reuters