Mumbai: They might not have a rich cricket legacy, but Nepal, last-minute entrants Scotland and first-timers Italy are dreaming big to make a strong impression on the dazzling stage of the T20 World Cup, beginning here on Saturday.
All three Associate nations had contrasting qualification campaigns for the T20 showpiece. Nepal are a team on the rise, Scotland replaced Bangladesh who withdrew from the event citing security concerns in India while Italy’s presence in the World Cup is a testament to the game’s growth in Europe.
Leaders of the respective teams are fully mindful of the opportunity at hand.
‘Football is the main the sport in Italy but the opportunity for us to play in the T20 World Cup is hugely important for the country and it is about putting cricket on the map in Italy,” captain Wayne Madsen, who played field hockey for South Africa said at the Captains’ Press Conference ahead of the World Cup.
For Scotland, the event presents a challenge of a different kind, having not known about their participation until late last month.
“Obviously it has been unique circumstances. There has been a quick turnaround for us coming into this tournament. And our preparations probably looked slightly different to some of the other teams coming into the competition,” said Scotland captain Richie Berrington.
“We have shown in previous tournaments that we can compete at this level. We have got another great opportunity in front of us to do that,” he added.
Playing their back-to-back T20 World Cup, Nepal are looking to make a substantial impact.
“This World Cup is very important for us, especially for me and the team because after 10 years we (had) qualified for the 2024 World Cup and consecutively we are playing the second one. The 2014 World Cup has inspired a lot of players from this group,” said Nepal captain Rohit Paudel, who calls himself a big fan of former India captain Rohit Sharma.
“I think the same will happen to the next generation who will be watching us in this World Cup,” he added.
Paudel is excited about playing at Rohit’s home ground in Mumbai. “I am a big fan of Rohit Sharma but living up to the expectations (his name) will be a tough task for me. I hope I can make the fans happy,” Paudel added.
For India-born USA captain Monank Patel, the experience of playing in the country of his birth will be special and emotional.
“As a kid, I always dreamt of playing a World Cup and never thought of playing a World Cup in India and representing USA. So it’s a great feeling and it’s not just for me, a lot of players in the team. And really excited to play the World Cup,” said Monank ahead of the opener against India on Saturday.
Leaders of England and the West Indies — Harry Brook and Shai Hope respectively — were also part of the media interaction.
They were asked about controversy surrounding Pakistan’s selective pullout from the game against arch-rivals India on February 15 but steered clear of the question.
“We just stay in our lane, that’s up to the ICC and whoever else is involved to have that agreement or disagreement,” said Brook on the potential absence of a team in the tournament due to non-cricketing reasons.
“Yeah, that’s well above our pay grade to be getting involved in that. So, we just want to come out here and enjoy the cricket as much as possible, stay in the moment and just try and play as well as we can,” he added.
