Kolkata, February 16: Italy’s captain Harry Manenti expressed immense pride in his team’s spirited performance after they put up a tough challenge against England in the T20 World Cup match. On Monday at Eden Gardens, Italy chased a target of 203 runs, scoring 178 runs before falling short by 24 runs. Despite the loss, the captain emphasized that the team has nothing to lose and will continue to play fearlessly.
In the match played on Monday, England scored 202 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. Italy’s response showcased their potential, as they managed to score 178 runs.
During the post-match presentation, Manenti stated, “We have nothing to lose. That was our mindset coming in. It’s up to us to try and compete again and really push them to their limits. That’s our goal throughout the tournament.”
He acknowledged England’s aggressive style of play, which is a hallmark of their cricket and entertaining for the audience. Manenti believed that if they could take early wickets, they would remain competitive in the middle and death overs.
After losing 5 wickets for just 105 runs, England managed to post a total of 202 runs, with Will Jacks playing a crucial role in stabilizing the innings. Manenti praised Jacks, saying, “He (Jacks) batted brilliantly and showed that when you take the innings deep and have strength in the middle order, anything can happen.”
The captain noted, “On a small ground and good pitch, we were trying our best to limit their score against a very strong batting lineup. We knew that getting early wickets would help us. As you can see, a score of 200 today was not too much.”
Italy’s innings saw impressive counter-attacks from Ben Manenti and a late surge from Grant Stewart, which played a significant role in keeping Italy in the match. The captain highlighted the importance of partnerships, saying, “That was truly a fantastic innings. We lost a few wickets early, and after they came in, they started putting pressure on England from the very first ball. If you look at the final overs, Grant Stewart did the same. This proves that when you build a small partnership and apply pressure, anything can happen.”
With two losses out of three matches, Italy currently sits fourth in Group C of the points table and is out of the title race. However, they will play their final match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against the West Indies on February 19.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
