MUMBAI: Italy wrote their name into the history books on Thursday, securing their first-ever victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a breathtaking ten-wicket demolition of Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium.
In a performance that blended surgical precision with aggression, the Azzurri chased down a target of 124 without losing a single wicket, cantering home with 44 deliveries remaining to announce their arrival on cricket’s grandest stage.
Anthony, Justin blaze unbeaten 124-run stand
The night belonged to the Mosca brothers, whose unbroken partnership of 124 rewrote the record books and left the Nepal attack utterly helpless under the dazzling Wankhede floodlights.
Anthony Mosca was the chief destructor, his 32-ball 62 a breathtaking exhibition of power-hitting that yielded three fours and six towering sixes.
His elder brother Justin provided the perfect counterweight, compiling an unbeaten 60 from 44 deliveries adorned with five boundaries and three maximums.
The pair showed scant respect for Nepal’s famed spin quartet, plundering 50 runs from the six overs sent down by Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi combined.
Victory was secured with more than seven overs unused, a margin of defeat that will sting Nepal for some time.
Crishan Kalugamage's excellent spell of bowling set up Italy's win over Nepal👌
He wins the @aramco POTM🏅
📝: https://t.co/ulPg6AgfVj pic.twitter.com/r5UVE56pKp
— ICC (@ICC) February 12, 2026
Kalugamage’s lethal spell sets up Italian triumph
The foundation for Italy’s historic chase was laid much earlier by 21-year-old seamer Crishan Kalugamage, whose mesmerising four-over spell of 3 for 18 ripped through Nepal’s middle order and restricted them to a sub-par total.
Nepal, opting to bat first, never recovered from the early departure of Kushal Bhurtel.
Captain Rohit Paudel threatened briefly, crashing two sixes in his enterprising 14-ball 23, but his attempt to dominate Kalugamage proved his undoing.
Aarif Sheikh battled gamely for 27, the innings’ highest score, while Aasif Sheikh contributed a patient 20.
Karan KC’s late unbeaten cameo of 18 from 11 balls lent respectability to the total, but Nepal’s innings unravelled alarmingly from 93 for 3 to 123 all out.
A famous triumph for Italy against Nepal as they notch up their first-ever #T20WorldCup win 👏
📝: https://t.co/ulPg6AgfVj pic.twitter.com/Uic1aBwi2l
— ICC (@ICC) February 12, 2026
The run-out of Nandan Yadav and Lalit Rajbanshi in consecutive deliveries epitomised the panic that seized the Asian side during the death overs.
Ben Manenti proved economical, his four overs costing a mere nine runs while yielding two crucial wickets.
Ali Hasan, JJ Smuts and Jaspreet Singh all chimed in with single strikes as Italy’s varied attack operated as a perfectly coordinated unit.
Brief scores
Nepal 123 all out in 19.3 overs (Aarif Sheikh 27, Rohit Paudel 23; Crishan Kalugamage 3/18, Ben Manenti 2/9) lost to Italy 124/0 in 12.4 overs (Anthony Mosca 62 not out, Justin Mosca 60 not out) by 10 wickets.
Player of the Match: Crishan Kalugamage (Italy)
