Italy, on Thursday (February 12), created history as they clinched their first win in the T20 World Cup. They achieved the historic feat with a stunning 10-wicket defeat over Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Nepal started the game as favorites thanks to their experience as well as their performance against England in their last outing. However, Italy completely outplayed them to open their account in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Also Read: “Pizza > momos”: Wasim Jaffer roasts Nepal after Italy pull off stunning T20 World Cup upset
Italy crush Nepal:
Batting first, Nepal were bowled out for just 123 runs with none of their players managing to reach even the 30-run mark. Aarif Sheikh top-scored for his team. For Italy, Crishan Kalugamage impressed with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 18 runs off his 4 overs while Ben Manenti picked up 2 wickets while conceding just 9 runs in 4 overs.
With the bat, the European outfit chased down the total with utmost ease thanks to their openers. They crossed the finishing line without losing a single wicket. Justin Mosca and Anthony Mosca guided their team home in style by scoring 60 and 62 runs respectively. They shared an unbeaten stand of 124 runs in just 12.4 overs.
The Mosca brothers finish it in style! 🇮🇹🔥
A dominant 10-wicket triumph over Nepal as Italy register their first-ever ICC Men’s T20 World Cup win 👏
Statement made. History created.Next on ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #INDvNAM | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/aLGrwgVX5o pic.twitter.com/lKwkG3OSxX
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 12, 2026
A memorable outing for Mosca brothers:
The match was a memorable one not only for Italy but also for the Mosca brothers. The Italian stars now hold the record of stitching together the first century stand by brothers in the T20 World Cup. Their partnership also marks only the third instance of a 100-plus opening stand by an associate team in the T20 World Cup.
The 124-run stand is now also the highest partnership between siblings in the T20 World Cups. The previous record was held by Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal for their 96-run partnership against Australia in the 2014 edition.
100-plus opening stand by associate team in T20 World Cup:
- 131* – Aqib Ilyas & Jatinder Singh (OMA) vs PNG, 2021
- 126 – Michael Jones & George Munsey (SCO) vs ITA, 2026
- 124* – Justin Mosca & Anthony Mosca (ITA) vs NEP, 2026*
MOSCA BROTHERS 🥹♥️
Anthony Mosca – 62*(32)
Justin Mosca – 60*(44)First Hundred run partnership by brothers in T20 World Cup history, This is Italy, this is Mosco brothers. pic.twitter.com/2KF4dF3kwo
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 12, 2026
Harry Manenti on extraordinary win:
Italy’s stand-in captain was delighted with the win over Nepal as he called it extraordinary. He stated that the Italian players and the fans were dreaming about the historic win for a long time.
“Yes, it’s pretty extraordinary, really. It’s something that a lot of people in Italy, a lot of people in this group have dreamt of for a long time. When we qualified, that was obviously a special moment, but our goal was always to compete at this level and compete in this top competition, and we showed that today. We didn’t quite nail it the other day, but we backed it up today and showed the world what we’ve got,” said Manenti.
