Kolkata, February 19 – Skipper Shai Hope continued his excellent form with a 75-run innings, leading the West Indies to 165/6 against a well-planned Italian bowling attack in the final Group C match of the 2026 T20 World Cup, played at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Coming to bat after losing the toss, the two-time champions, the West Indies, suffered an early setback when opener Brendon King, who had been struggling with his scoring, was dismissed off the seventh ball of the innings. King scored just 4 runs off 6 balls.
His opening partner, Hope, prevented Italy from gaining momentum after this early setback, smashing four boundaries and a six in the next two overs. Shimron Hetmyer could not replicate this, as he was dismissed cheaply for one, leaving the West Indies at 48/2 after the powerplay.
After these early setbacks, the West Indies captain forged a 64-run partnership with Roston Chase (24), which helped the team reach near the three-figure mark by the 12th over. Hope played a dominant role in the partnership by attacking the spinners, while Chase rotated the strike effectively.
Italy finally got a breakthrough in the 13th over when Chase was dismissed by Thomas Draca. Meanwhile, Hope completed his fifty off just 28 balls and continued his brilliance at the crease despite losing Chase.
As the West Indies were aiming for a big total, Italy mounted a strong comeback with consecutive wickets in just three balls. Rowman Powell was dismissed by Ben Manenti in the 15th over, while captain Hope was clean bowled by Crishan Kalugamage in the next over. Hope smashed four sixes and six boundaries during his magnificent innings.
All-rounder Jason Holder could not continue his momentum against Italy, as he was dismissed for just 9 runs off 7 balls. Sherfane Rutherford scored 24 off 15, while Matthew Forde made 16 off 8, as the duo provided a good finish with a 28-run partnership that came off just 14 balls.
Manenti and Kalugamage were the most successful bowlers for Italy, claiming two wickets each, while Ali Hasan and Draca got one each.
Brief Scores: West Indies 165/6 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 75, Roston Chase 24, Sherfane Rutherford 24*; Crishan Kalugamage 2-24, Ben Manenti 2-37) against Italy.
