Anthony Joseph Mosca of Italy plays a shot during the ICC T20 World Cup war-up match against Canada at the MAC Stadium in Chennai on Monday, January 2, 2026.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU
It is hard to measure what Italy’s history-making T20 World Cup qualification meant to everyone involved — players, coaches, and supporters scattered across continents. For Anthony Joseph Mosca, though, its weight settled in one simple truth: it made his mother happy. It brought pride to her voice, a smile to her face, and tears to her eyes. In that moment, history felt human.
“At the qualifiers in Holland, mum sent a video through. All the parents had to send videos to the players about how proud they were. And it brought a tear to my mum’s eye.
“Once dad passed away, life was tough for her. I know she’s very happy now. She’s got a smile on her face to see the two boys playing here in the World Cup,” said Anthony after Italy’s 10-run win over Canada in the warm-up match here on Monday.
Openers Anthony and his brother Justin (left-hander) are from Australia, but their roots remain firmly Italian. “Our parents and grandparents were born in Italy,” he said. “For many of us in this team, our families are from Italy. We have a lot of Italian heritage (in the team). So, Italian was the first language in some of our households.”
Anthony Joseph Mosca of Italy plays a shot during the ICC T20 World Cup war-up match against Canada at the MAC Stadium in Chennai on Monday, January 2, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU
Cricket, however, came through Australia, where Anthony grew up playing grade cricket in Sydney, admiring and wanting to emulate Ricky Ponting’s pull shot and Damien Martyn’s cover drive.
He didn’t fully grasp the scale of Italian cricket until just before COVID. “The federation contacted Ben Manenti. And Benny passed on my name and my brother’s,” he recalled. Though the pandemic paused his travel, the commitment remained. “They told us the steps it would take to get to this level and we were prepared to take that on.”
That journey has been eased by familiarity. Alongside his brother are the Manenti brothers, Ben and Harry — friends first, teammates later. “We played cricket together back in Australia. We played at the same grade club in Sydney. For the last 15 years, we’ve been close mates — brothers, not by blood.”
Italy’s World Cup debut carries a rare symmetry: two sets of brothers, bound by blood and friendship, turning familiarity into strength, and history into something shared.
Published – February 04, 2026 05:13 pm IST