Cricket: Italy

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Briefly

As of 2025

Avijit Ghosh, August 17, 2025: The Times of India

In 1793, two teams made up of crew from the fleet of British naval commander Horatio Nelson played a cricket match in Naples, the first “documented” game in Italy. The match was hosted by Col Maceroni of the Bourbon Army, also known as the Royal Army of Naples. “He is now considered the first supporter of Italian cricket,” says Maria Lorena Haz, President, Federazione Cricket Italiana (FCRI). She adds, “This match marked the beginning of a long and, for many years, ‘underground’ history of cricket in our country.”


Italy’s cricket story is one of lost and found. The willow was happening towards the end of the 19th century in Italy. Genoa, the country’s oldest existing football club, was founded in 1893. It was called Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club. When AC Milan was set up in 1899, it was named Milan Football and Cricket Club. But the country got seduced by football. 
As Italy won the first of its four World Cups in 1934, cricket faded. The game made a slow comeback after the Italian cricket federation was founded in 1980, the country joining ICC in 1997. Yet, cricket remains a minor sport. The game is not played on turfs, but on matting or synthetic wickets.

Former Aussie opener Joe Burns, who captains Italy, joked in the podcast, ‘Willow Talk,’ that they could “bounce like Waca or spin like Galle”. Most cricketers don’t make a living from the game. Italy has over 104 clubs and about 3,500 registered players. Lombardy and Lazio are the most vibrant leagues.

But the game’s base is expanding, backed by the federation’s cricket school programme. Immigrants play a defining role. “Communities from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the backbone of Italian cricket. At the amateur level, they form about 95% of the registered players,” says Haz. “Their passion and knowledge of the game have been the main drivers in keeping the sport alive and growing in Italy,” she says.


Apart from Jaspreet Singh, several other cricketers with an Indian background, such as Baljit Singh and Manpreet Singh, have donned the Italian jersey. So have players with roots in Bangladesh and Pakistan. The current team is a stew of cultures. There are Australians (Joe Burns, the Manenti brothers, Harry and Ben), Englishmen (wicket-keeper Marcus Campopiano and opener Emilio Gay) and a South African (Wayne Madsen, who later moved to England). Opener Justin Mosca and hard-hitting Anthony Mosca are native Italians. Add CJPF Kalugamage of Lankan origin and Jaspreet to this mix and it’s a fascinating potpourri. And coach John Davison is from Canada and assistant coach Kevin O’Brien from Ireland.


“You have got cricketers from different cultures. But if you speak to the players, they class themselves as Italians. They all want to play for the Italian cricket badge,” says O’Brien.