“To win in front of 35,000 people would be pretty special.” “We’d much prefer to play in front of 35,000 Nepalese than no one.” Italy captain Wayne Madsen and coach John Davison know exactly what their team will walk into at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The last afternoon match at the venue, England vs Nepal on Sunday, turned into a home game for the underdogs. The stands were packed with Nepalese supporters, and the noise barely faded during their team’s spirited chase. Italy, who opened their T20 World Cup campaign with a loss to Scotland in Kolkata on Monday, will experience that atmosphere for the first time. However, Madsen, who will miss the game due to a shoulder injury, insists that the crowd factor was something to look forward to, not feared. “Clearly there are going to be a lot of Nepalese supporters in the stadium backing their team, and that’s something we as players have to deal with. The noise at the Wankhede during the England game was pretty unreal,” he said. “But we’ve got to embrace that. That’s going to be the message to the guys – you’re not going to play in an atmosphere like this very often. So go out, enjoy yourselves and really embrace the moment.” In Madsen’s absence, vice-captain Harry Manenti will lead Italy on Thursday.Story continues below this ad Facing Nepal presents a different challenge. The Asian side showed they can match established teams, pushing England close. Italy are aware of the threat, but are drawing confidence from the wider pattern of this tournament. “Not just Nepal, we’ve seen how a number of Associate teams have performed at the start of this tournament. We all know that T20 brings the competition levels a lot closer. It takes one or two special performances from a couple of players in a team to win a game,” Madsen said. “There have been some really good performances from the Associate teams, and we’ve come with a lot of belief. For us, it’s really about backing ourselves and taking the game on.” Nepal batters in action. (FILE photo) Despite losing their opening game to Scotland, Davison said that it was important for Italy to play brave cricket. “We had a few dismissals (against Scotland) that were a bit half-hearted. We shouldn’t let the occasion get too big,” he said. Distinct advantage Madsen, however, acknowledged that Nepal may hold one key advantage – familiarity and cohesion. “They play together more often. Our players are based in different countries – England, Australia and Italy – so we don’t get much time together. An event like this helps us bring our best team together,” the skipper said.Story continues below this ad An occasion like this World Cup, therefore, is about more than just results. It is about growth. “For us, it’s about embracing everything around the World Cup,” he said. “We don’t just want to be here to take part. We want to grow from it.” Thursday offers another step in that journey. As Madsen put it, winning in front of 35,000 passionate Nepal supporters would be “pretty special.”
‘To win in front of 35,000 would be special’: Italy ready for Nepal wave at Wankhede
