KOLKATA, India — In their concluding Group C match of the T20 World Cup on Thursday, the West Indies, having already secured their advancement to the Super 8s, faced an Italian squad seeking to conclude its inaugural ICC global tournament on a high note. Italy’s captain, Harry Manenti, won the toss and elected to field first, hoping his bowlers could exploit any early swing in the daytime conditions at the venue.
Manenti continues to lead the Italian side after a tournament-ending shoulder injury to regular captain Wayne Madsen during their opening fixture. Despite losses to Scotland and England, the team garnered significant confidence from a stunning 10-wicket victory over Nepal. “We take some confidence from the England game and West Indies is another powerful team,” Manenti stated at the toss, expressing hope for early breakthroughs.
The West Indies, entering the match with an unchanged lineup from their dominant nine-wicket win over Nepal, boast a formidable top order. Captain Shai Hope, along with Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford, have all recorded half-centuries throughout the group stage, demonstrating aggressive and powerful batting form. Hope expressed a philosophical view on losing the toss, noting, “it’s not in our hands.”
In other tournament developments, Zimbabwe—the team responsible for eliminating Australia—was set to conclude its group stage against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, fresh from a narrow double tiebreaker defeat to South Africa, prepared to meet Canada in its final Group D match.