Awesome Azzurri: How Italy stunned Europe, T20 World Cup hopes and building a cricket legacy

By Daniel Beswick

It’s time to say “Benvenuti, Italia.”

The talk of the cricket world after claiming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualification this month, the Azzurri will greet India and Sri Lanka next year with a friendly ciao, but that’s where the niceties will end.

And while Italy captain Joe Burns describes the feeling of qualifying as “surreal”, the homework to cause even bigger shocks next year has already begun.

“I’m really proud of this group,” Burns told ICC Digital.

“A lot of planning and preparation went into it (qualifying). So it’s satisfying from that aspect from the cricket side as well.

“Obviously it's a very emotional thing for all of us as individuals and as a team and the federation where we've come from to get to this point.

“We did one week training camp in Rome, one week in the UK, and I said to them the first day in Rome, ‘I don’t care if we’re playing Luxembourg in the first Sub-Regional game or India in a World Cup Final. I just want us to be the most prepared team in world cricket’, because that's something we can control, something that doesn't require any skill.”

The observant in Voorburg at the European Regional Final and those watching the livestream online saw the homework in practice, dictating terms as a dominant side in the region and not the plucky underdogs some may have imagined.

Brushing aside the likes of Guernsey and with a washout against Jersey, the Italians were assertive against the more-credentialed Scotland on matchday three, winning key moments in a clinical defence of 167 to put themselves in the driver’s seat.

It was anything but a flash in a pan - and as Burns points out - the side had acquired intelligence on the Voorburg surface, and had mapped out every scenario to the point where nothing felt new to them.

“So I think going back a few months, we got some information about what the wicket would likely play like.

“We knew the strengths of our players were really clear and how we wanted to play and the process that we wanted to go about things.

“So I guess by the time we got to the game, we're almost on autopilot knowing how we'd prepared.”

Turning heads and in pole position, Burns and the Italians had done the maths knowing that even a narrow defeat to the Dutch would mean punching World Cup tickets on the final day in the single round-robin event.

Burns admits he had to turn his attention to damage limitation to seal the team’s path.

“There were probably two games in a game there,” he said. “Obviously we start the game trying to win it. It didn't go to plan. They outplayed us in the first 10 overs, and then from there we really just had to get a score on the board that we could defend in I think it was 14.3 overs.

“The batters did really well. We got to 133. And then that first six overs we got punched in the face and all the momentum was going against us.

“Because the spinners have been effective, there was a temptation to kind of bring the spinners on early in the Powerplay.

“For me I knew the spinners had bowled so well in the tournament that once we got out of the Powerplay and we got the field back, we were going to be able to regain control.

“And I think the way that Crishan (Kalugamage) and Ben Manenti came on at both ends, I think they both bowled four overs to spin and just clawed back the game.”

A former Australia international with four Test centuries to his name, Burns qualifies for the Italians through his family heritage, and made his goals clear in 2024 ahead of Sub-Regional qualifying on the road to 2026.

His shirt number of 85 was a nod to his late brother Dominic, and wants the progress of the Italian national team to inspire anyone with ties to the country.

“Maybe it's because I'm a little bit older, but as you get older in life, you have a stronger understanding of who you are, where you come from.

“For me, it was an opportunity to unite family and cricket, and I think for our group, everyone has a really similar story to that.

“We did a great culture piece in Rome (in the build-up to the Qualifier), about who we are, where we come from, understanding each other's families and sacrifices made, even guys who had come from the subcontinent, the sacrifices that have been made to move to Italy, similar to the way our grandparents left after World War II.

“I think in anything in life, it's about the impact you can have on others as well, and the opportunity that this team had to create something special for so many people greater than the squad of 15 or the 11 players on the field. We really wanted to create that legacy for future generations.

“Obviously, funding and opportunities that come with that, what the future of cricket in Italy might look like, is a huge motivating factor.

“It just made the journey really special for all of us knowing the goal at the end of it and the outcomes at the end of it were so significant for the Federation.”

In the background, the wheels of the Italian cricketing train are turning.

Through the sport’s Olympic inclusion, collaboration with the National Olympic Committee has opened the door for funding and facilities including plans for turf wickets.

Over 100 clubs operate in the country in a domestic setup on the move, with a handful of domestic players in the national squad.

As grassroots cricket grows on one hand, at the elite level Italians have not shied away from leaning into player eligibility regulations, with the likes of Emilio Gay, Thomas Draca, Grant Stewart and the Manenti brothers of Ben and Harry in to bolster the side alongside Burns.

The Italians will also welcome back Wayne Madsen to the fold, though one of their biggest strengths lies in their coaching group, stacked with decades of Associate international experience and personal World Cup history.

Former Canada international John Davidson coaches the team, with former Scotland international Dougie Brown and Ireland hero Kevin O’Brien working as assistants.

O’Brien joined the side in 2022 fresh from ending his international playing career, and is best placed to describe the progress in the three years leading up to qualification.

“I’ve seen a group of players who have grown and developed into a really close-knit group,” O’Brien tells ICC Digital.

“That can be difficult with players coming from different parts of the world but the common joining force with this squad is the Italian heritage.

“I’ve seen the guys improve, and that is not only with their cricket skills, it’s all the other things that you need to be successful in International cricket, like attitude, fitness, awareness, cricket smarts, and work ethic.”

O’Brien led the plaudits for Burns looking back at their qualification, and sees parallels with his journey for Ireland when they made their presence felt at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, where they famously beat Pakistan on St. Patrick’s Day.

“Joe was meticulously prepared. He was 24/7 invested in this qualification tournament,” O’Brien said. “That was the biggest positive on the squad and it really helped me as a coach to be equally prepared to help the players achieve what they wanted.

Burns was quick to send the gratitude in the opposite direction, well aware that the experience of the staff in such merciless international competition with such was priceless.

“I think the biggest thing about Associate cricket is it’s so cutthroat.

“When you play for Australia, you're not exposed to the challenges of Associate cricket, where you're playing for funding and basically the program's existence in every single game that you play. So these guys have walked that path.

“Having staff (who have) been there and done it, the value that they brought to the group, coming through the Associate pathway (is vital).”

Now, it’s back to the drawing board for Italy in the build-up to their first World Cup in cricket in any format.

And while Burns is happy to respond to however the draw shakes out, he wants the biggest challenge of them all: 2024 champions India aiming to defend their crown on home soil.

“You come to your first World Cup and you want the big stage. I'd love to be playing India in the first game in India,” he said. “I’d love to be playing Australia, England or all the top teams, that's the experience that you're after.

“You want to test yourself, you want to really jump in at the deep end.

“I really hope it unites Italians around the world. I hope this team can be a beacon for Italians around the globe, whether in Italy or spread out or they've got grandparents that left the country and they've got heritage there or people who are moving to Italy for a new life.”