T20 World Cup: West Indies brushes aside Italy by 42 runs to sign off group stage on high

West Indies, who had already sealed their Super Eights berth, topped the group with all wins.

Shai Hope’s second consecutive fifty and a disciplined performance by bowlers powered West Indies to a comfortable 42-run win over Italy, signing off their Group C campaign in the T20 World Cup in style, here on Thursday (February 19, 2026).

Despite a shaky batting performance, the Caribbean pace and spin attack clicked in unison, ensuring a winning momentum headed into the Super Eights.

Set a target of 166, Italy were bowled out for 123 in 18 overs with Matthew Forde (3/19), Shamar Joseph (4/30) and Gudkesh Motie (2/24) doing the bulk of the damage with the ball for West Indies.

Skipper Hope slammed a 46-ball 75 to guide West Indies to 165/6 after Italy chose to field.

Hope’s fluent knock with six fours and four sixes held the innings together, but experienced spinners Ben Manenti (2/37) and Crishan Kalugamage (2/25) choked the run flow in the back end to keep the total in check.

On a batting-friendly Eden surface with a lightning outfield, where England’s 202 was almost chased down by Italy in the previous game, the target looked underwhelming at the innings break.

But West Indies’ bowlers got the job done without much hassle.

Young pace-bowling all-rounder Forde, who had conceded just 10 runs and taken a wicket against Nepal in Mumbai, set the tone in the powerplay with another neat spell. He was exceptional with the new ball, returning figures of 2/17 in three overs.

Forde struck in his first over as Justin Mosca was bowled for 2, done in by an inducter. He then removed Syed Naqvi with a hard-length delivery that shaped away as the batsman tried to smash and was caught at mid-off.(

Shamar Joseph was the pick of the bowlers, using the short-ball strategy smartly. He finished Italy’s resistance by taking the key wicket of Grant Stewart in the 15th over, effectively sealing the contest.

Wily left-arm spinner Motie was outstanding in the middle overs. He foxed the batsmen with his guile, keeping scoreboard pressure intact and removing JJ Smuts (24) and the in-form Ben (26) just when they were looking to accelerate.

At the halfway stage, with Ben at the crease, the chase still looked possible. But Italy kept losing wickets after the early strokes from Forde.

The successive dismissals of Stewart and Manenti — who had shared a blistering 92-run stand off 48 balls against England — hurt them badly.

Italy thus finished their campaign with one win from four matches, their lone win coming against Nepal.

West Indies, who had already sealed their Super Eights berth, topped the group with all wins.

Put in, West Indies lost in-form Shimron Hetmyer (1) for a single-digit score for the first time in the World Cup, while opener Brandon King (4) also fell cheaply in the powerplay, but the Windies captain batted effortlessly.

Italy struck with left-arm seamer Ali Hasan removing Brandon King (4) with his first ball.

But Hope, fresh from an unbeaten 61 against Nepal, counterattacked in style drilling a wide half-volley from fast bowler Thomas Draca through extra-covered.

Hasan then erred in line as Hope crashed two more fours through the off side before drawing him for a six over square leg in a 14-run over.

Hope brought up a 28-ball fifty while hitting four sixes and six fours in a 46-ball knock, but Roston Chase’s sluggish 24 off 25 balls (2×4) hurt the momentum.

It pulled the Windies innings down, and even as Hope got boundaries at will, Chase looked tentative, and struggled to rotate the strike before holing out to deep forward square.

The pressure mounted with two quick wickets — Chase and Rovman Powell (9) — as experienced off-spinner Manenti and Sri Lanka-original leg-spinner Kalugamage turned the tide in Italy’s favour.(Edited)Restore original

West Indies head into the Super Eight of the T20 World Cup unbeaten after successfully defending 165 against Italy at Eden Gardens on Thursday. Spinners Crishan Kalugamage and Ben Manenti impressed with the ball, and were backed up by some sharp fielding, but the batters couldn’t get the Italian job done.

While Italy exited their maiden World Cup with a win against Nepal and many memories to cherish, West Indies sealed their fourth consecutive win at the venue where they will face India in their final Super Eight fixture on March 1.

Italy may have felt an opportunity for another win when they stifled West Indies’ power-packed middle order, but Matthew Forde’s twin strikes in the powerplay decisively tilted the game in West Indies’ favour. Bowling three overs on the bounce, Forde dismissed both Justin Mosca and no. 3 Syed Naqvi, helping West Indies restrict Italy to 37 for 3 in six overs. Shamar Joseph then bagged four wickets to go with his four catches as Italy were bowling out for 123.

The victory was set up by Shai Hope, who hit back-to-back half-centuries and dominated the early exchanges with an array of off-side drives. West Indies lost steam after Hope departed for 75 off 46 balls, but they regained it through their bowlers.

Hope’s solo act

After West Indies were asked to bat first, they hit seven boundaries in the powerplay, and Hope was responsible for all of them. By the eighth over, the West Indies captain had zoomed to a 28-ball half-century. The first boundary by a West Indies player not named “Shai Hope” came in the tenth over when Roston Chase backed away and lifted left-arm spinner JJ Smuts over extra-covered.

Hope peppered the off side, scoring 46 of his 75 runs in that region. Anything that was remotely full and outside off was crashed into the arc between mid-off and point. When Italy dragged their lengths back, Hope was ready for it as well. Like when left-arm seamar Ali Hasan banged one into his upper body, Hope swatted him away over square leg for six in the fourth over. Hope was particularly severe on right-arm fast bowler Thomas Draca, taking him for 20 off nine balls.

Italy ultimately stopped him in the 16th over when legspinner Kalugagame bowled him with a tossed-up wrong’un.

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