Italy’s national cricket team wears the same famous azure jerseys as their footballing counterparts. You might expect a defensive masterclass, but the 2026 T20 World Cup showed off a completely different side of Italian flair. In a game usually ruled by the big Commonwealth nations, two pairs of Australian-Italian brothers, the Manentis and the Moscas, traded their morning coffee for pure adrenaline. They played with a level of guts that had commentators struggling to find the right words. These four moments show exactly how these Sydney-raised stars proved the critics wrong.
1. Sydney Grit on the Big Stage
Long before they stepped out under the Wankhede Stadium lights, the Manenti and Mosca boys toughened up in the local Sydney Grade Cricket scene. They brought that same hard-nosed attitude to the world stage. They treated their big World Cup debut more like a scrap in the backyard.
Critics thought they’d buckle under the pressure of playing the pros, but the brothers remained in their element. They blocked out the noise of the global crowd and leaned on years of competing against each other at home.
Justin and Anthony Mosca turned a high-pressure game into a casual display of power hitting. Their time in the New South Wales suburbs clearly gave them the nerves they needed.
2. Ben Manenti’s Spin Trap
When Italy played Nepal on February 12, 2026, Ben Manenti decided to tear up the script. The off-spinner tore through the Nepalese batting order with a performance that felt almost personal. He didn't just slow them down; he completely cut off their oxygen.
Finishing with figures of 2 for 9, he killed off any chance of a Nepal comeback. The batters were left playing wild, hopeless shots just to get moving. Harry Manenti ran the team with a cool head, keeping his players and his brother on a tight leash. That pressure kept Nepal to a tiny score of 123 and set things up for a wild finish.
3. The Mosca Brothers’ All-Out Attack
The bowling was clinical, but the chase was pure chaos. Needing 124 to win, Justin and Anthony Mosca walked out and went for the throat immediately. They smashed the runs in just 12.4 overs to grab a massive ten-wicket win.
Anthony cleared the ropes like he was playing in the park, and Justin matched him stroke for stroke. The two put on an unbeaten 124-run stand that made a World Cup match look like a simple net session. It wasn't just a win; it was a statement. Italy had arrived, leaving the Nepal bowlers shell-shocked and the fans in the stands buzzing.
4. Qualifying Against the Odds
The brothers lit the fuse long before the fireworks in India during the tough European qualifiers in August 2025. Not many people gave Italy a prayer of moving past the big European names. But the Manenti and Mosca brothers didn't care about the odds.
They tore through the tournament with a level of confidence that left everyone else confused. Harry Manenti stepped up with a huge century against Hong Kong, while the Moscas kept giving the team a flying start. They simply refused to settle for second best. That drive got Italy to the main event and showed that their swagger was backed up by real talent.
