Italy announce squad for debut T20 World Cup, Wayne Madsen to lead

Italy has announced its 15-player squad for its maiden ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Experienced cricketer Wayne Madsen will captain the side, with their campaign starting against Bangladesh on February 9 at Eden Gardens.

Italy have announced their 15-player squad for their first-ever appearance at the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Wayne Madsen has been named the captain of the side for the marquee T20I tournament, as per the ICC website. The Azzurri will begin their T20 WC campaign against Bangladesh on February 9 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before facing Nepal on February 12 in Mumbai.

Italy squad for T20 WC 2026

Wayne Madsen (c), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Draca.

Italy's Path to the World Cup

Italy secured their berth at the T20 WC after a memorable showing at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, finishing second thanks to notable victories over Scotland and Guernsey.

Leadership and Key Player Insights

Notably, Wayne Madsen replaced the former Australian cricketer Joe Burns as Italy's captain. Burns, who has played 23 Test matches for Australia, led the Italy men's cricket team and was a key member of its qualifying campaigns. The former Australian cricketer Burns played eight T20Is for Italy. He scored 1 hundred and 1 fifty each at an average of 45 with a strike rate of nearly 140.

The standout inclusion in Italy's T20 WC team is experienced all-rounder JJ Smuts, a former South Africa international who has featured in 13 T20 Internationals. Meanwhile, Emilio Gay has been ruled out due to injury.

Coaching and Management Team

The team's coaching setup will be led by John Davison, with Kevin O'Brien and Douglas Brown serving as assistant coaches, and Peter Di Venuto taking on the role of team manager.

T20 World Cup Group Stage Draw

Italy have been placed in Group C, where they will compete against two-time champions England and the West Indies, along with Bangladesh and Nepal.

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