Kolkata: Unbeaten West Indies beat Italy by 42 runs in the final group match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Chasing 166 runs, Italy were restricted to 123 runs in 18 overs by a brilliant performance from the Caribbean bowlers.
Ben Manenti scored 26 runs off 21 balls including 2 fours and a six. JJ Smuts added 24 runs off 27 balls with 3 fours while Anthony Mosca scored 19 runs off 12 balls with a four and 2 sixes.
Grant Stewart scored 12 runs off seven balls, including a six, but other players struggled to make an impact.
Shamar Joseph claimed 4/30 in four overs for West Indies. Mathew Forte took 3 wickets, Kudakesh Moti took 2 wickets and Akhil Hossain took one wicket.
Batting first, West Indies lost opener Brandon King on the first ball of the second over. He was dismissed by Ali Hasan after scoring four runs off six balls.
The Caribbean suffered another setback in the powerplay as Shimron Hetmyer fell cheaply to Tomas Draga in four balls, leaving the team at 31-2 in 4.1 overs.
Captain Shai Hope and Roston Chase steadied the innings with a crucial partnership that pushed the total past 50 runs.
However, at 95-3 in 12.3 overs, their 64-run stand was broken in the 13th over when Chase were bowled out for 24 off 25 balls, including 2 fours.
Hope was in fine form with the bat and anchored the innings with a well-packaged T20I half-century to help his team reach the tournament total.
However, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. West Indies lost their fourth wicket as Ben Manendy was dismissed for 9 off a ball. In the next over, Hope’s 75 off 46 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes came to an end.
Krishan fell to Kalugamage with Jason Holder also scoring nine off seven balls.
Sherfan Rutherford scored an unbeaten 24 off 15 balls with 2 fours and a six, while Matthew Ford remained unbeaten on 16 off 8 balls including 3 fours.
For Italy, Ben Manenti and Krishan Kalugamake took two wickets each and Thomas Draga and Ali Hasan took one wicket each.