T20 WORLD CUP | Anthony pleased to bring happiness to his mother

Italy's T20 World Cup debut brings pride and joy to Anthony Joseph Mosca and his family, celebrating heritage and unity.

It is hard to measure what Italy’s history-making T20 World Cup qualification meant to everyone involved — players, coaches, and supporters scattered across continents. For Anthony Joseph Mosca, though, its weight settled in one simple truth: it made his mother happy. It brought pride to her voice, a smile to her face, and tears to her eyes. In that moment, history felt human.

“At the qualifiers in Holland, mum sent a video through. All the parents had to send videos to the players about how proud they were. And it brought a tear to my mum’s eye.

“Once dad passed away, life was tough for her. I know she’s very happy now. She’s got a smile on her face to see the two boys playing here in the World Cup,” said Anthony after Italy’s 10-run win over Canada in the warm-up match here on Monday.

Openers Anthony and his brother Justin (left-hander) are from Australia, but their roots remain firmly Italian. “Our parents and grandparents were born in Italy,” he said. “For many of us in this team, our families are from Italy. We have a lot of Italian heritage (in the team). So, Italian was the first language in some of our households.”

Anthony Joseph Mosca of Italy plays a shot during the ICC T20 World Cup war-up match against Canada at the MAC Stadium in Chennai on Monday, January 2, 2026. | Photo Credit: R. RAGU

Cricket, however, came through Australia, where Anthony grew up playing grade cricket in Sydney, admiring and wanting to emulate Ricky Ponting’s pull shot and Damien Martyn’s cover drive.