Kolkata, February 18 Italy head coach John Davison called for warm-up matches at global tournaments to be recognized as official fixtures, arguing that associate nations struggle to improve their rankings without meaningful game time.
Italy defeated Canada by 10 runs and thrashed UAE by 112 runs in the T20 World Cup warm-up matches before entering the tournament proper.
"I would like to see those practice games as official games for the lesser teams, because it is really difficult for us to improve our ranking if we are not playing," Davison said ahead of their concluding match of the World Cup against the West Indies at Eden Gardens.
"And so if we are at a tournament like this -- and another associate team or another team that you are having a warm-up game (which says let's play a proper game for seeding) -- we would all be in favor of that. I don't think it would be too difficult to organize, so that would be something that I would suggest in the future."
First-time participant Italy's maiden World Cup win came against Nepal – a resounding 10-wicket victory in Mumbai.
Davison stressed that Italy had always believed in their squad's quality, but the real test was delivering under pressure on the world stage.
"I always thought we had a good team. The biggest challenge was to be able to do it on this stage under pressure. And I think we have shown that we can do it."
While proud of the campaign, he made it clear that the team is not content with just participation.
"We are very proud of our performances so far, but we don't want to rest on our laurels and we are very determined to do well in our final game."
He also pointed out the structural challenges facing associate nations, saying Italy would "love to play more cricket" and develop turf facilities back home, but funding and programming remain dependent on administrators and ICC support.
Madsen to miss final league game
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Regular captain Wayne Madsen, who dislocated his left shoulder in their debut match against Scotland here on February 7 and has since not played any part, confirmed that he would also miss their final game.
"For tomorrow's fitness, I am not going to be fit. I have tried to get it ready. As you say, my age brackets, there are not too many World Cups left for me to play. So I have obviously done what I can to try and get it ready... it hasn't as the shoulder hasn't responded too well to pushing it."
Off the field, players have embraced Indian culture during their stay in Kolkata, with Madsen visiting landmarks such as the Victoria Memorial and enjoying local cuisine, calling the tour a special and fulfilling experience.
"I actually went out yesterday with my wife and friends and we went to the Victoria Memorial, we went to the New Market, we got out and experienced a little bit of Kolkata, so yeah that was really good to be able to do.
"It is important to take in the culture while you are on tour and I really loved doing that. I think some of the guys have been able to get out and do that as well amongst the team.
"We went out as a group to an Italian restaurant last night and we were really well looked after in that.
"I love my curries and my Indian food, so I've had a lot of Indian food while I've been over here. And I could say probably the same for most of the squad. We've embraced the culture," he concluded.
