In the T20 World Cup 2026, Italy bowled brilliantly, dismissing Nepal for 123. Led by Crishan Kalugamage and Ben Manenti, they triggered a collapse after Nepal’s steady start. The comeback earned widespread praise for the associate nation.
Italy’s impressive bowling was on display during their T20 World Cup 2026 Group C match against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, February 12. Italy Cricket Team made its World Cup debut against Scotland, but lost by 73 runs at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
However, Italy bounced back with a sensational bowling performance against Nepal. After being opted to bowl first by the stand-in skipper, Harry Manenti, the Italian side bundled out the fellow Associate nation for 123 in 19.4 overs. Crishan Kalugamage led the bowling attack with figures of 3/18 at an economy rate of 4.50 in his spell of four overs.
Ben Manenti picked up two wickets while conceding just nine runs at an economy rate of 2.20 in his spell of four overs. Apart from Kalugamage and Manenti, Ali Hasan (1/34), JJ Smuts (1/22), and Jaspreet Singh (1/8) also contributed with crucial wickets, ensuring that Nepal never built any substantial partnerships.
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Italy Stuns Nepal Batters
Nepal appeared to have headed into the match with confidence and looked to build a solid total, but Italy’s disciplined bowling attack never allowed them to settle. In the first eight overs of the innings, Italy’s Hasan Ali, Crishan Kalugamage, and Ben Manenti reduced Nepal to 49/3 by dismissing Kushal Bhrutal, Rohit Paudel, and Aasif Sheikh, respectively.
Thereafter, Nepal began to rebuild its innings after an early setback through a 44-run partnership between Aarif Sheikh and Deepinder Singh Airee before the latter’s dismissal at 93/4. From there on, Nepal’s batting struggled to regain momentum as they suffered a collapse, thanks to Italy’s bowlers' relentless pressure.
From 93/4, Nepal were collapsed to 102/8 with the dismissals of Lokesh Bam, Aarif Sheikh, Gulshan Jha, and Nandan Yadav, losing four wickets for just 9 runs, leaving their innings in tatters. JJ Smuts, Ben Manenti, and Crishan Kalugamage were instrumental in triggering a collapse in Nepal’s batting line-up.
However, Karan KC anchored Nepal’s innings in the death overs before they were bundled out for 123, and set a modest target that Italy chased comfortably with disciplined batting and minimal hiccups. Italy’s impressive bowling, led by Crishan Kalugamage and Ben Manenti, stifled Nepal throughout, ensuring a dominant performance that set up an easy chase in their first T20 World Cup.
Italy’s Bowling Receives Massive Praise
Italy’s sensational bowling performance did not go unnoticed, as fans and cricket enthusiasts lavished praise on the associate nation for their disciplined spell, highlighting the accuracy, clever variations, and pressure created by Kalugamage, Ben Manenti, and the rest of the bowling unit.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts lauded Italy’s phenomenal bowling and game awareness, while highlighting the stunning collapse of Nepal’s batting against the team that had been heavily defeated by Scotland just days ago. Many praised Italy for its tactical discipline and solid fielding support, calling it a landmark performance for an Associate Nation.
Italy Cricket qualified for its maiden ICC World Cup by finishing as the runners-up in the 2025 Europe Regional Final, making the historic moment for the team at the T20 World Cup 2026.
