Kolkata, February 8 Italy captain Wayne Madsen expressed hope on Sunday that his team's historic entry into the T20 World Cup will inspire the country's four-time FIFA World Cup-winning football team, which is currently in danger of missing a third successive global final.
Italy, once a football powerhouse, has struggled in recent qualifying rounds for the 2026 World Cup and is now looking to advance through the playoffs after failing to top their group.
"Hopefully, we can inspire the football team to qualify for the World Cup, and that would be wonderful if we can perform at a level that inspires them to get there," Madsen said on the eve of their milestone T20 World Cup debut against Scotland.
Since winning their fourth title in 2006, Italy has been eliminated in the group stage in 2010 and 2014, and failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2016 editions. Their 2026 campaign has also begun tentatively, with Norway defeating them 3-0 to secure their qualification.
Madsen said the team has prepared thoroughly for the ICC tournament.
"We have had excellent preparation in Dubai prior to Chennai. We were able to play competitive cricket against Ireland, and we also had some good practice games," he said.
"For us, the preparation has been very good so far, and I think it has become real when the game started yesterday.
"We have had some good discussions as a group about how to deal with the pressure of a tournament like this, and that is starting to sink in. There will be some nerves, which is normal.
"Our biggest challenge now is to take the form we have shown in practice matches into the pressure cooker of the World Cup. So how we react to the big stage will be our biggest challenge.
"The opportunity for us as players to create something special is what we are focused on, and we can only control as a group what we can, and that is the message to the players," he added.
Playing in India, where cricket is followed religiously, has further enhanced the occasion.
"We have gained a lot of confidence from the way we have played in the last couple of weeks, so yes, obviously the atmosphere and everyone here in India has been so welcoming.
"It is a cricket-mad nation, and for us as players, just to be able to come to India to play is a huge honour, so it is important for us to enjoy ourselves, and that is our biggest message to the group.”
However, in Italy, the buzz has been minimal, but Madsen feels that the interest will grow along with televised World Cup matches.
"I think the buzz and fan support will only get bigger as we get into the tournament and when the games start to get onto TV," he said.
"We want to make everyone proud in Italy, and we want to leave a legacy that cricket develops in the country. So it is a fantastic opportunity, but we want everyone to get behind us and support us through this tournament, and it will be a great journey, and we are looking forward to having a lot of people behind us.
"I think there have already been quite a few big name sportsmen from other sports who have shouted out on social media to the boys, and that has been awesome to see," he said.
The cricketing infrastructure is still under development in Italy, but with the Olympic status accorded to the sport, things will change, remarked head coach John Davison.
"In terms of the number of clubs, we have over 100 clubs in the country, and yes, we don't have a turf pitch yet.
"That is, obviously, one of the focuses of the federation going forward is to try and do that, so that we can have international cricket in the country, and that will then lead to the game further developing and getting better within Italy.
"In terms of funding, I think because cricket is now an Olympic sport, and we fall under the Olympic umbrella, I'm not sure of the figures, but you know if you're an Olympic sport, you are better funded,” he said.
