In a significant achievement, the Mosca brothers, Justin and Anthony, have not only secured Italy’s first-ever win in the ICC T20 World Cup but have also established a record for the highest partnership between siblings in the tournament’s history. This milestone took place during Italy’s debut in any World Cup format, as they defeated Nepal by ten wickets at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Italy Wins the Toss

Italy won the toss and chose to field first. Nepal struggled throughout their innings and was dismissed for a total of just 123 runs in 19.3 overs. Key contributions came from Aarif Sheikh, who scored 27 runs off 24 balls, captain Rohit Paudel with 23 runs off 14 balls, and Aasif Sheikh, who added 20 runs from 20 balls. On the bowling front, Italy’s Crishan Kalugamage delivered an impressive performance, taking three wickets for 18 runs in four overs, while Ben Manenti claimed two wickets for just nine runs in his four-over spell.

In response to Nepal’s total, the Mosca brothers dominated the chase. Justin Mosca completed his innings with an unbeaten 60 runs from 44 balls, which included five boundaries and three sixes. His brother Anthony outshined with a remarkable 62 runs off only 32 balls, featuring three fours and six sixes. Together, they formed a record partnership of 124 runs for the first wicket, accomplishing the goal in just 12.4 overs.

This partnership broke the previous record of 96 runs set by Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal during the 2014 World Cup against Australia. Additionally, this achievement marks the third instance of a century-plus opening partnership by an associate nation in T20 World Cup history. The earlier notable partnerships were by Aqib Ilyas and Jatinder Singh from Oman, who scored 131 not out against Papua New Guinea in 2021, and Scotland’s Michael Jones and George Munsey, who posted 126 runs against Italy in 2026.

Furthermore, this win represents only the second occurrence of a ten-wicket victory for an associate team in the history of T20 World Cups, with the first instance being Oman’s triumph over Papua New Guinea in 2021. Italy’s triumph signifies a milestone not only for the players but also for the development of cricket in the nation.