West Indies sailed into the Super Eight of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup undefeated after registering a commanding 42-run win over Italy at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.
Looking to sign off their campaign on a positive note, Italy delivered a spirited bowling display to restrict the West Indies to 165/6. However, their chase never gathered momentum as Matthew Forde led a sharp bowling effort that bundled them out for 123 in 18 overs. Benjamin Manenti top-scored with 26.
It was the third time in four matches that West Indies bowled out the opposition inside 20 overs. The Caribbean side had earlier bundled out England inside their allotted 20 overs. Shamar Joseph set the tone with raw pace, claiming 4/30, while Forde, who had earlier removed Justin Mosca to provide the breakthrough, returned to finish with 3/19 from his four overs.
After being sent in to bat, captain Shai Hope anchored the innings with a fluent 75 off 46 balls, striking six fours and four sixes. He was the only batter to consistently use his feet against a disciplined Italian attack and held the innings together amid regular wickets at the other end.
Ali Hasan struck first for Italy, inducing a faint edge from Brandon King. West Indies struggled to accelerate as wickets fell at intervals, and the scoring rate dipped further once Hope was bowled by Crishan Kalugamage.
Kalugamage, continuing his impressive run, was the standout among Italy’s bowlers, while Manenti chipped in with 2/37 from his four overs.