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MUMBAI: Dominant Italy deflated Nepal’s bowling attack to seal a 10-wicket win over Nepal in the 17th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 played here at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Set mere 124, Italy made the target look so easy and chased it down in only 12.4 overs.
The first win in the mega event marked a historic moment in Italy’s cricketing landscape, as they overpowered opposition like Nepal, which had nearly pushed England to the brink in their previous fixture.
Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca, both brothers, came out firing all cylinders with 68 on the board in the first six overs.
Italy’s openers not only took down the bowlers but also impressed with their range of shots.
The pair continued on their destructive batting after the Powerplay and reached the half-centuries in the process.
Anthony Mosca nudged for a single in the 12th over to seal a memorable win.
Justin Mosca struck three sixes and five fours in his 60* from 44, whereas Anthony Mosca scored 62 from 32 included six maximums and three fours.
Earlier, asked to bat first, Nepal’s shambolic batting display saw them 123 all out in 19.3 overs.
Kushal Bhurtel was dismissed early for five with Aasif Sheikh and the skipper Rohit Paudel coming to the fore. The duo steadied the innings with a 41-run partnership.
The scorecard is 49 when Sri Lanka-born Crishan Kalugamage removed Paudel. The skipper managed 23 from 14 with the help of two sixes.
Italy snared another quick wicket to get hold of the proceedings before a 44-run stand between Dipendra Singh Airee and Aarif Sheikh propelled their score to 93 in 13.5 overs.
However, Airee’s wicket sparked a collapse that Nepal could not recover from. They slumped to 102-8 and 123 all out in 16.5 overs from 93-4.
Aarif Sheikh remained the top scorer with 27 off 24 balls, hitting three fours.
For Italy, Crishan Kalugamage stood out with three wickets to his name. Ben Manenti supported him well with two scalps.
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