T20 World Cup: Shai Hope’s Half-Century Guides West Indies to 165/6; Italy Set Target of 166
Kolkata: In a Group C clash of the T20 World Cup 2026, the West Indies cricket team faced the Italy national cricket team at the iconic Eden Gardens. Batting first, West Indies posted 165 for 6 in their allotted overs, riding on a captain’s knock of 75 by Shai Hope. Italy now require 166 runs to win.
After winning the toss, Italy opted to bowl first—a decision that appeared justified early on. West Indies had a poor start, losing Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer with just 31 runs on the board.
Hope then steadied the innings with Roston Chase, adding 64 runs for the third wicket. Chase scored 24 off 25 balls before being dismissed. However, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals from the other end.
Opening the innings, Hope played a composed and impactful knock of 75 off 46 balls, smashing six fours and four sixes. His innings proved crucial in taking West Indies to a competitive total of 165/6. Without his contribution, the team could have been in serious trouble.
In the closing stages, Sherfane Rutherford contributed an unbeaten 24 off 15 balls, while Matthew Forde added a valuable 16 off just 8 deliveries.
Italy’s bowlers performed admirably, keeping most of the West Indies batters in check apart from Hope. Restricting them to 165 was a commendable effort.
For Italy, Benjamin Manenti picked up two wickets for 37 runs in four overs, while Crishan Kalugamage claimed two for 25 in his four overs. Ali Hasan returned figures of 1 for 24 in three overs, and Thomas Draca took 1 for 22 in two overs.
