logo
Italy score, Australia assist: How expats from Down Under returned to their roots and fuelled cricket's revival in the football-obsessed nation

Italy score, Australia assist: How expats from Down Under returned to their roots and fuelled cricket's revival in the football-obsessed nation

Indian Express18-07-2025
Harry Manenti in many ways defines what Italy's cricket is all about.
Man of the Series in the tournament that sealed Azzurri's qualification to the T20 World Cup to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka next February-March, Manenti's family has Italian roots. His father played professional rugby for Benetton in Brescia at the foot of the Alps and, growing up in Sydney, cricket remained a part of their household. Apart from weekend games with the large Italian community in the bustling city, his elder brother Benjamin has been a regular in Australia's first-class system. Yet, playing in the World Cup still looked like a dream too far until a phone call arrived four years ago.
It all started with Benjamin applying for a European passport and looking for avenues to play cricket in the UK. 'Our father had shown us the route, and when Ben was looking for opportunities, he had also enrolled for the Big Bash. With his name circling, the Italy federation saw the last name and reached out asking if he was available to play for them. Then he told them about me and all of a sudden, I was playing in Italy with Ben joining a year later,' Manenti tells The Indian Express.
The Manentis, like over a million others in Australia with Italian roots, have long shared a common dream — to keep cricket around them at all times.
Harry and Benjamin's parents, like many others, migrated to Australia at the end of World War II in search of better opportunities. Cricket, which had been a prominent sport back in Italy before the War, was too hard to let go of. Down Under with facilities that are second to none, they went about building a strong base, establishing clubs in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide which have players only of Italian origin. The Manentis are part of this sound eco-system where their weekends would be spent with the community and beyond.
Italy captain Joe Burns, who once wore the famous Australian Baggy Green before becoming an Azzurri in 2024, posted an emotional message after qualification, that read: 'This triumph is more than cricket'.
***
Most things about Italian cricket are fascinating.
It's a sport that's completely banned in the northern town of Monfalcone because it caused significant disturbance to the locals. And that wasn't the first time the sport was banned in Italy.
Cricket, which was first played in Italy in 1890, was once on an equal footing with football when the English moved to their shores. In fact, Genoa, the Serie A football club, started as a cricket club. So did the European powerhouse AC Milan, which has retained its English name as against the Italian Milano.
Clubs would then spring up in Turin as well, with cricket being played in the summer before football became the sport for the winter months. 'When Italy was unified in 1870, the English had helped a lot,' Simone Gambino, the honorary president of the Italian Cricket Federation (ICF) says. 'In the three cities – Genoa, Milan and Turin, which we call the industrial triangle, there were a lot of English. They brought cricket here, similar to what they did in India. These cities still go by the English name because of their influence. For 20 years till World War II, cricket and football lived together in these English clubs. It just disappeared after fascism set in,' Gambino says.
According to Gambino, in the World War era, cricket only continued in Rome's religious colleges run by the English and Scots. The scene would continue till the end of WW II, when the English started to arrive back in Italy.
'Post War, they re-sent a lot of people and particularly in Rome, there was a flood of cricketing activities through the religious institutes and priests. There is a team of the Vatican these days called St. Peter's Cricket Club. And it's the Pope's team, it's the team of the Vatican. It is nearly entirely composed of Indian and Sri Lankan priests,' Gambino says.
Having learnt the sport from his American grandfather while growing up in London, Gambino says when he arrived in Italy in the late 1970s as a teenager, many Italian expats played cricket. With quality being poor, Gambino admits it never flourished and by the mid-90s, the arrival of the Asian population saw a complete takeover. But what Gambino and ICF didn't realise was that indigenous Italians who moved elsewhere after World War II didn't abandon cricket.
Gambino, who doesn't forget to remind that Ted Dexter and Daniel Vettori were of Italian heritage, reveals that a majority of Italians who moved to England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand post World War II kept cricket within their grasp.
'In Melbourne's JICA league, there is a team called Rosebank made up of only Italians which has been winning the title for the last 10 years. The whole focus of the last 20 years of ICC policy has been on development and spreading the game. And a lot of money has been spent on this. But unfortunately, you cannot spread the culture quickly. Culture needs time. Football is popular all over the world. A lot of money was spent about 10 years ago to get football going in India, but it doesn't work. A lot of Italians kept the cricket culture going wherever they settled,' says Gambino was ICF chair from 1986 to 2016 before taking up the honorary role.
While the arrival of thousands of expats from the Indian sub-continent has kept club-level cricket flourishing in Italy, what is also undeniable is that the local population hasn't taken up the game as much as those of the previous generations.
Gambino, while mentioning the reason for Monfalcone banning cricket, explains the game in Italy in a nutshell. 'In Monfalcone, obviously there is some racism by the Italians against the Bengalis. But it also must be said that the Bengalis are using cricket as a device to do their own thing. When I was the chairman, we offered the Bengali community to play on a beautiful grass baseball ground, but they weren't interested. The people who have been forbidden from playing cricket in Monfalcone are not clubs or teams, but a bunch of people who just want to go out and bat and bowl at random places in the streets. We want to introduce the sport in schools. It shouldn't be seen as a sub-continent sport played by expats. It is a sport for everyone, including the Italians,' Gambino says.
A post shared by ICC (@icc)
***
Peter Di Venuto can well be called as Italy cricket's flagbearer in Australia. While his brother, Michael, played nine ODIs for Australia before switching to Italy in 2012, Peter turned out for Italy apart from playing club-level cricket in Tasmania, where he now resides.
After gaining T20I status in 2019, Peter has played a big role in uniting the Italian community in Australia in terms of exploring the option of turning out for Azzurri. It was Peter who had reached out to the Manentis with the idea of playing for Italy.
'There are a lot of them who are interested. We could have had Spencer Johnson playing for us, but he got picked in franchise cricket and he turned out for Australia soon after. Now, we're establishing academies in Australia for Italian citizens, dual citizens for boys and girls to be able to support the national team in Italy as we progress towards the Olympics,' he says.
Di Venuto adds: 'So in terms of a strategy, it's very much part of our strategy to engage with Italians all over the world. It doesn't just exist in Italy. You have got a huge settlement here and players who have access to the best facilities and some even feature in domestic tournaments. If they believe it is not logical to get into the Australian team, they have Italy as an option. There are many in South Africa as well, who are showing interest. The qualification has improved the profile of the team and a lot of them want to get involved already.'
Cricket finding its way into the Olympics has already given a much-needed boost to the sport in Italy. According to Di Venuto, players are now tested every 12 months by the Italian National Olympic Committee and a database has already been put in place.
Like Gambino, Di Venuto admits the interest among the locals has dwindled. 'The school programme started two years back, so we have to see how it goes. In the meantime, we thought about how we keep improving and in Australia, we had a good system in place already,' he says. 'A lot of us have grown up playing the game here and have a skill set that we all feel should be empowered to do something back to honour our heritage and roots back in Italy. And that part has been the motivation of this team. People moving out of India and Pakistan take cricket with them. We are no different. We took cricket with us from Italy and continued it here,' De Veuto adds.
Manenti, meanwhile, is already dreaming about the T20 World Cup. The tournament might still be six months away, but the all-rounder is already manifesting the idea of playing in front of packed crowds.
'I want India or Australia in our pool. Growing up in Australia, supporting the Australian cricket team is something that I've always dreamt of. But to then play them in a World Cup would be amazing,' he says. 'Also playing India in a World Cup in India would probably just about be the most incredible thing that you can do in any sport in the world, I would think. So I don't mind where we play, when India is playing at home, irrespective of the venue, it will be packed.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New Zealand vs South Africa T20I Live Cricket Score Streaming: Where to Watch NZ vs SA Today's Final Match Live telecast?
New Zealand vs South Africa T20I Live Cricket Score Streaming: Where to Watch NZ vs SA Today's Final Match Live telecast?

Indian Express

time15 minutes ago

  • Indian Express

New Zealand vs South Africa T20I Live Cricket Score Streaming: Where to Watch NZ vs SA Today's Final Match Live telecast?

New Zealand (NZ) vs South Africa (SA), Zimbabwe Tri-Series Final T20I Live Cricket Score Streaming Online: On a fine winning streak, Mitchell Santner's Black Caps will take on Rassie van der Dussen's South Africa in the T20 Tri-Series summit clash today. The Kiwis had a spotless league-stage campaign, also involving Zimbabwe, as they beat both the hosts and the Proteas twice each to comfortably enter the final. South Africa had to rely on wins against Zimbabwe to make the final as the teams build towards next year's World Cup. In their first meeting, New Zealand racked up 173 before bundling out South Africa for a 21-run victory. On Tuesday, New Zealand made light work of a 135 chase after constricting South Africa with a cohesive bowling effort. Led by Tim Seifert's unbeaten 66, New Zealand romped home by seven wickets. NZ vs SA Tri-Series final, predicted 11 NZ predicted XI: Tim Seifert, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke SA predicted XI: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen (c), Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Nqaba Peter, Lungi Ngidi, Kwena Maphaka. When will the New Zealand vs South Africa, final match of the T20 Tri-Series take place? The final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa will be held today, July 26 (Saturday). Where will the New Zealand vs South Africa, final match of the T20 Tri-Series take place? The final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa will be played at the Harare Sports Club. At what time will the New Zealand vs South Africa match of the T20 Tri-Series start? The final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa will begin at 4:30 PM IST. At what time will the toss for the final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa take place? The toss for the final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa will happen at 4 PM IST. Where to watch the live telecast of the final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa in India? The final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa will not be televised live on any TV channel in India. Where to watch the live stream of the final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa in India? The final match of the T20 Tri-Series between New Zealand and South Africa will be streamed live on the FanCode app and website in India. Squads: New Zealand Squad: Tim Seifert(w), Tim Robinson, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Bevon Jacobs, Mitchell Santner(c), Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, William ORourke, Mitchell Hay, Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway, James Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne South Africa Squad: Rassie van der Dussen(c), Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, Dewald Brevis, Lhuan-dre Pretorius(w), Andile Simelane, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Senuran Muthusamy, Nqabayomzi Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch

India vs England LIVE Score, 4th Test Day 4: Gill-Gambhir duo stare at their first series defeat together
India vs England LIVE Score, 4th Test Day 4: Gill-Gambhir duo stare at their first series defeat together

First Post

timean hour ago

  • First Post

India vs England LIVE Score, 4th Test Day 4: Gill-Gambhir duo stare at their first series defeat together

India vs England 4th Test LIVE Score (India National Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Match Scorecard): India face a mountain to climb on Day 4 of the 4th Test at Old Trafford. With England firmly in control, the visitors risk their first series loss of the ongoing World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. read more India vs England LIVE Score: England are in complete control of the fourth Test against India, with Shubman Gill and his team staring at a possible series defeat in Manchester. India will have to bowl England out quickly on Day 4 and then hope their batters can put up a big second-innings score, and do it fast. However, the main roadblock for the visitors right now is the dangerous Ben Stokes, who, after taking a five-wicket haul in the first innings, is now nearing a century with the bat. England captain Ben Stokes frustrated the Indian bowlers on Day 3 and will now take the crease again on Day 4 as he is looking set for a well-deserved hundred after his five-wicket heroics in the first innings. England are 7 wickets down with a lead of 186 runs, putting Shubman Gill's side under immense pressure. India need quick wickets otherwise the English tailenders have the ability to add valuable extra runs. India vs England 4th Test Day 3 LIVE Score: Former England skipper Joe Root played a brilliant innings of 150, while Ollie Pope added a solid 71 and captain Ben Stokes remained unbeaten on 77. Earlier, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett provided an explosive start to the home side after they bowled India out for 358 runs. Thanks to their efforts, England finished Day 3 with a huge total of 544/7. They are currently 186 runs ahead of India in this match and the Shubman Gill-led side faces a mountain to climb on the remaining two days. India are down and almost out of the match unless a miracle happens. Joe Root makes history Root made history by becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, going past legends like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting. The only player ahead of him in the all-time Test run-scorers list is the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. 'Just one more to go. The way his career has gone over the last five years, there's absolutely no reason why not,' former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said when asked if Root can become the all-time No. 1 scorer in red-ball cricket. 'He's not a big one for landmarks, but I think that's a pretty cool one, second highest test runs is incredible. I'm sure he knew what the number was (that he needed) but he's not a guy who wants to shout about it,' England vice-captain Ollie Pope said.

Manoj Tiwary Questions Gautam Gambhir's Selection Policies Amid India's Struggles In England
Manoj Tiwary Questions Gautam Gambhir's Selection Policies Amid India's Struggles In England

India.com

timean hour ago

  • India.com

Manoj Tiwary Questions Gautam Gambhir's Selection Policies Amid India's Struggles In England

India's narrow 22-run defeat at Lord's saw them fall behind 1-2 in the five-match series. Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, the team fought hard but once again faltered on the final day, despite a valiant effort from Ravindra Jadeja. Tiwary Criticises Over-Reliance on All-Rounders Tiwary was critical of Gambhir's preference for all-rounders over specialist players in the Test format. 'I have said earlier as well that Test cricket is a game of specialists, but we are sidelining them and trusting all-rounders more,' Tiwary told IANS. He pointed out a pattern of dropping players after underperforming and bringing in fresh faces from outside the squad. 'Since Gambhir became head coach, we've seen frequent changes. In the India-New Zealand series, Washington Sundar was brought in from outside over Ashwin, who was already in the squad. On the Australia tour, Devdutt Padikkal and Harshit Rana played, but now Harshit is missing and we are playing Anshul Kamboj in this Test,' Tiwary added. Concerns Over Instability and Frequent Changes The former Indian batter believes that the constant chopping and changing have created instability in the squad. 'There is no stability, and Gambhir seems unable to trust players for a long duration. His thinking of relying on part-time all-rounders to win Test matches is not practical. Players with experience know that Test matches demand specialists,' Tiwary remarked. Tactical Missteps and Missed Opportunities Tiwary also criticised the team's decision-making, particularly the omission of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who he believes could have troubled England's batters. 'Kuldeep Yadav should have played in this match and the last match. Wrist-spinners have always succeeded against England because their batters struggle to pick them,' he said. He further pointed out that inconsistent performances from India's top order, including Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who failed to convert starts beyond 50-60 runs, also hurt the team's chances. India's Recent Test Decline Since Gambhir was appointed head coach in July 2024, India's performance in the longest format has dipped. In 13 matches, the team has registered just four wins, eight defeats, and one draw, slipping from No.1 to No.4 in the ICC Test rankings. They also failed to qualify for the World Test Championship 2025 final after a disappointing series loss in Australia. Gambhir's Stature and Coaching Challenge Gautam Gambhir, one of India's most celebrated batters between 2008 and 2011, scored over 10,000 international runs and played crucial innings in India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup final victories. As a leader, he inspired Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles as captain and another as mentor. However, his tenure as India's head coach has come under the scanner amid mounting criticism and inconsistent results.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store