The process of announcing teams for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 continues. A European country has announced its team for the World Cup. This country is Italy, which has announced its 15-member squad for the ICC tournament. This tournament is going to start on February 7th. The Italian team will participate in the ICC T20 World Cup for the first time. This will be the first ICC tournament for the Italian cricket team. Therefore, this tournament holds special significance for the team.
Who is the 42-year-old captain of the World Cup team?
Italy has been placed in Group C in the World Cup, along with Bangladesh, England, West Indies and Nepal. Italy will begin its historic campaign against Bangladesh on February 9. This match will be played at the historic Eden Gardens ground in Kolkata. The Italian Cricket Board took a big decision before the tournament and appointed Wayne Madsen as the captain of the team. Earlier, the relationship between Italy and former Australian cricketer Joe Burns had deteriorated, after which the decision of change in captaincy was taken. Jaspreet Singh has also been included in the team.
42-year-old Wayne Madsen has been associated with Italian cricket for a long time, and his experience at both the domestic and international levels could prove crucial for the team. Under his leadership, Italy will be aiming for a surprising performance in the World Cup. The most notable name in the team selection has been JJ Smuts. Smuts played international cricket for South Africa until 2021 and will now represent Italy in the T20 World Cup. His selection is expected to bolster Italy’s batting, while he could prove to be a significant threat to opposing teams.
Italy’s first match against Bangladesh on a grand stage like Eden Gardens won’t be easy, but with a strong lineup of experienced players and renewed enthusiasm, the team will be aiming to make history. All eyes will be on whether Italy can pull off a major upset in their maiden T20 World Cup appearance.
Italy squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Wayne Madsen (captain), Marcus Campopiano (wicketkeeper), Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Christian George, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Benjamin Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart, Thomas Dreka.