West Indies Aim for Unbeaten Run, Italy Seek Final Victory in T20 World Cup Clash
Kolkata – The West Indies are poised to complete an undefeated run through Group C of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but won’t underestimate Italy in their final group stage match. The West Indies have already secured their place in the Super Eight, while Italy are looking to finish their tournament on a high note.
For the West Indies, things are falling into place at the right time. Three batters – Shai Hope, Sherfane Rutherford, and Shimron Hetmyer – have all registered half-centuries during the tournament, providing consistent firepower. Seamers Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder have also been impactful, claiming a five-wicket haul and a four-wicket haul respectively. As they look ahead to Super Eight matches against Zimbabwe, South Africa, and India, the West Indies will be hoping to see their spinners find more wicket-taking opportunities.
Batting coach Floyd Reifer emphasized that the team is taking Italy seriously, particularly after Zimbabwe’s upset victory over Australia in Group B. “They are not taking Italy lightly, though,” Reifer said on the eve of the game. “Momentum is an oft-used term in tournament conversations, and with one eye on finishing Group C unbeaten, West Indies aren’t likely to make wholesale changes to the XI.”
Italy, meanwhile, are approaching the match as a final opportunity to showcase their talent on the global stage before stepping back from the spotlight. The team will be without captain Wayne Madsen, who is sidelined with an injury, but he expressed pride in the team’s progress despite his limited participation in the tournament.
Italy plan to approach their stronger opponents “head on,” but will need a special performance to overcome the in-form West Indies. Their recent form reads LWLWL.
In the Spotlight: Grant Stewart and Quentin Sampson
All-rounder Grant Stewart, who was born in Western Australia and plays for Kent, has embraced the opportunity to represent Italy, even taking language lessons to immerse himself in the culture. He demonstrated his capabilities with a strong performance against England, hitting Adil Rashid for several boundaries.
The West Indies may also give Quentin Sampson a chance to play. Captain Shai Hope has previously described Sampson as “among the cleanest hitters,” and the Italy match presents a good opportunity to assess his potential as a batting option for the Super Eight stage. Sampson showed promise in his debut against Afghanistan, scoring 30 runs with two sixes against Rashid Khan, but his subsequent appearances yielded low scores.
Team News: No Major Changes Expected
Reifer indicated that the West Indies have all players available, despite some experiencing minor niggles due to the demanding tournament schedule. Harry Manenti will continue to captain Italy in Madsen’s absence.
Italy (probable): 1 Justin Mosca, 2 Anthony Mosca, 3 JJ Smuts, 4 Harry Manenti (capt), 5 Ben Manenti, 6 Grant Stewart, 7 Marcus Campopiano, 8 Gian-Piero Meade (wk), 9 Jaspreet Singh, 10 Crishan Kalugamage, 11 Ali Hassan
West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Shai Hope (capt, wk), 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Rovman Powell/Quentin Sampson, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Matthew Forde, 9 Gudakesh Motie, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Shamar Joseph
Conditions in Kolkata are becoming warmer and more humid, with an 11:00 AM start likely to offer some assistance to seam bowlers early on. As the day progresses, the pitch is expected to become more favorable for batting, and spinners could also find success as the sun bakes the surface.
The West Indies advanced to the Super 8 round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, joining India, Sri Lanka, England, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe in the next phase of the tournament. The Super 8 will be divided into two groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals, scheduled for March 4 and March 5. The final will be held on March 8.
