In a small, cluttered basement office in northern Rome, the silence of the Italian Olympic Committee building is being broken by the constant ringing of a landline. Riccardo Maggio, the multitasking operations manager for the Italian Cricket Federation, is frantically unpacking boxes of blue "Italia" jerseys.
For the first time in history, the Italian men’s national cricket team has qualified for the ICC T20 World Cup. It is a story that has largely flown under the radar in a nation obsessed with football and basketball, but for the group of teachers and pizza-makers heading to India and Sri Lanka, it is nothing short of a sporting miracle.
The Italian squad is a unique tapestry of immigrants who grew up in Italy and players from the diaspora: Australian, South African, and British, united by Italian roots and a singular passion.
I would call it an Italian miracle. We’ve bonded over a story, and that story is one of family.
Peter Di Venuto, Italy's World Cup Manager
Proving that you can take the player out of Italy but not the Italy out of the player, the squad reportedly packed Moka pots in their luggage to ensure authentic coffee remains a staple in the dressing room throughout the tournament.
Italy’s journey to the big stage wasn't paved with IPL contracts or world-class academies. They fought through two grueling stages of regional qualifiers, defeating the likes of:
Turkey
Luxembourg
Guernsey
Now, they prepare to face the strongest teams in the world in front of millions of fans, a daunting leap from the quiet parks and improvised pitches of Rome and Tuscany.
For Maggio and the federation (founded in 1980), this tournament is a PR mission. With Sky Italia broadcasting the matches live and journalists being courted by the federation, the goal is to show the Italian public what cricket is all about.
"I have a feeling that Italians are good at it- they just need to know what cricket is," Maggio noted, hoping the sight of the "Azzurri" in a World Cup will spark a domestic revolution in the sport.
