- Laid the platform for the victory at the top of the order
Brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca have guided Twenty20 World Cup debutants Italy to their first win in the tournament, as their unbeaten half-centuries secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal in a Group C clash 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.
The brothers hail from the Moorebank area of Sydney and live in New South Wales.
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’ Ben 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.
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.
Italy’s Anthony Mosca celebrates after winning his nation’s first international T20 at the World Cup
His brother Justin Mosca plays a shot against Nepal as the Sydney-born brothers laid the platform for the win against Nepal
It was emotional scenes for the Italians who next face England in their first ICC T20 World Cup
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,’ said Kalugamage, a Sri Lankan-born pizza baker, as his voice shook during the post-match presentation.
Italy next face former champions England in Kolkata on Monday.
In Pallekele, Sri Lanka, the co-hosts’ batsmen Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka cracked half-centuries as the 2014 champions notched a 105-run win over Oman.
Mendis (61) and Rathnayake (60) stitched together a 94-run partnership for the third wicket after Sri Lanka were asked to bat. Captain Shanaka provided the late flourish with a 19-ball 50 to take his side to 225/5 in 20 overs.
‘We’re very pleased about the way we batted today,’ Shanaka said 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 the batting and the bowling.’