From his position out on the edge of the playing field, Marcus Campopiano bellows support for his teammates.
“Forza ragazzi!” he shouts. Come on, guys! All very standard. Just in Italian. Which, to the ear of followers of mainstream cricket, feels weird.
For the first time, Italy will be playing at one of the sport’s top events when they debut at the T20 World Cup in India this month.
To get there, they navigated two stages of qualifying, playing teams such as Luxembourg, Turkey, Isle of Man and Guernsey along the way.
Their reward for a campaign in which they initially knocked out Scotland – only for them to be invited back in to replace Bangladesh – was a ticket to the big time.
Until now, Italy’s most notable associations with cricket have been tenuous links to global stars. Oscar Piastri, the Formula One star who is an Australian of Italian heritage, loves the sport. Former football star Christian Vieri’s first sporting hero was Allan Border, the ex-Australia cricket captain.
Now those wearing the blue of the Italian national cricket team want to see if they can get a little share of the sporting limelight, too.
The Italian team prepares in Dubai for its maiden appearance at the T20 World Cup. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National
Italy's JJ Smuts during a match against Ireland at The Sevens in Dubai
Italy are preparing
Continue Reading on The National UAE
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.