From Football love to 22-yards of cricket:Rise of Italy at T20 internationals; defeated Nepal by 10 wickets in T20 WC

At Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Italy created history by defeating Nepal by 10 wickets in a T-20 World Cup match. This was a miracle for 78-year-old Francis Jayaraja, who sat in the stadium watching his 50 years of struggle turn into victory before his eyes. This is the story of Italy, a country where football is a religion, but a passion for cricket kept beating in the hearts of some people and these passionate people kept cricket alive in the country. Journey of cricket from Jaffna, Sri Lanka to Rome, Italy
Francis Jayaraj, who arrived in Rome from Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 1968 to study mathematics, never thought he would become Italy’s first cricket captain. He would work during the day and then play with embassy staff in the evening. Here he met Simone Gambino. Gambino had watched cricket in England during summers. Together they laid the foundation of the ‘Italian Cricket Federation’ in 1980. In 1984, the Italian team went on its first tour to England, captained by Jayaraj. Cricket was part of the beginning of famous clubs like Milan and Juventus
Explaining cricket to the common man in Italy is a difficult task. However, surprisingly, Italy’s famous football clubs AC Milan and Juventus actually started as cricket and football clubs. Initially, AC Milan was named ‘Milan Football and Cricket Club’, but cricket disappeared from there in the 1900s. One major reason for this was Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime. He suppressed cricket by labeling it as ‘un-Italian’ and ‘a game of the English’ while promoting football as a tool of nationalism. Cricket banned in some cities in 2023-24
Around 2023-24, the mayor of Monfalcone city banned cricket in parks saying it was not good for culture and safety. There is a severe lack of cricket infrastructure in Italy. Gambino says, ‘Perhaps we are the first country to play in the World Cup that doesn’t even have proper grass wickets in our country.’ However, after this victory, cricket is gaining momentum in Italy. Gambino and Leandro believe that real change will come from the Olympics. Only when Italians see cricket in the Olympics will the sport become a part of their culture.