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Italy have named a 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to begin on 7 February across Sri Lanka and India.
Wayne Madsen will lead the side in which the Azzuri would make their first appearance at a major ICC tournament.
Among the notable inclusions are former South Africa all-rounder JJ Smuts, who has played six T20Is for the Proteas. While top-order batter Emilo Gay have missed out due to an injury.
The European nation’s historic campaign in the mega event comes on the back of their impressive performance in the ICC Men’s European Qualifier, where they finished behind the Netherlands.
During the qualifier, Italy outplayed the strong Scottish team alongside Guernsey.
Interestingly, their ace batter and former captain Joe Burns, who played a pivotal role in Italy’s qualification, was left out of the squad.
The marquee event will run from 7 February to 8 March across Sri Lanka and India, with the opening fixture scheduled between Pakistan and the Netherlands.
Italy is placed in Group C alongside two of the tournament’s successful teams, West Indies and England, alongside Bangladesh and Nepal.
Italy will begin their World Cup campaign on 9 February against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Zain Ali, Marcus Campopiano (wk), Ali Hasan, Crishan Kalugamage, Wayne Madsen (c), Harry Manenti, Gian Piero Meade, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart and Thomas Draca.
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