Italy defeated Canada by 10 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, and this Italy National Cricket Team vs Canada National Cricket Team Match Scorecard captures every run, wicket, and turning point from that warm-up clash ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Batting first after Canada won the toss and chose to field, Italy posted 156 for 4, with JJ Smuts anchoring the innings with 49 off 37 balls before Harry Manenti finished unbeaten on 33.
Chasing 157, Canada fought hard through Yuvraj Samra and captain Dilpreet Bajwa’s 55-run opening stand but could only manage 146 for 6 in their 20 overs. This Italy National Cricket Team vs Canada National Cricket Team Match Scorecard shows a match that stayed competitive until the final over, with Smuts named Player of the Match for his all-round contribution of 49 runs and a wicket. The result gave first-time World Cup qualifiers Italy a timely confidence boost heading into the main tournament.
Match Summary Table
| Team | Runs | Wickets | Overs | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 156 | 4 | 20.0 | Won by 10 runs |
| Canada | 146 | 6 | 20.0 | Lost by 10 runs |
Italy’s innings was built on a solid platform from the Mosca brothers before Smuts and the Manenti brothers accelerated in the back half. Canada matched the required rate early through Samra and Bajwa, but regular wickets in the middle overs pulled them behind the asking rate. This scorecard data is sourced from the official ESPNcricinfo and ESPN match centre records for the fixture played on February 2, 2026, at Chennai (Warm-up, Match 3, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Warm-up Matches 2025/26).
Batting Highlights Table
Italy Innings : 156/4 (20 overs, RR 7.80)
| Player | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Mosca | c Harsh Thaker b Dilpreet Bajwa | 22 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 129.41 |
| Anthony Mosca | c Harsh Thaker b Jaskaran Singh | 22 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 110.00 |
| JJ Smuts | c Ravinderpal Singh b Kaleem Sana | 49 | 37 | 5 | 1 | 132.43 |
| Wayne Madsen (c) | c Ansh Patel b Saad Bin Zafar | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 90.91 |
| Harry Manenti | not out | 33 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 137.50 |
| Ben Manenti | not out | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 109.09 |
Extras: 8 (lb 2, w 6) · Did not bat: Gian Meade (wk), Grant Stewart, Marcus Campopiano, Jaspreet Singh, Ali Hasan, Crishan Kalugamage, Syed Naqvi, Zain Ali, Thomas Draca
Bowling : Canada
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | NB | WD | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleem Sana | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6.50 |
| Dilon Heyliger | 3 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9.30 |
| Dilpreet Bajwa (c) | 3 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8.00 |
| Jaskaran Singh | 4 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9.50 |
| Saad Bin Zafar | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.50 |
| Ansh Patel | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 |
Fall of wickets: 45-1 (A. Mosca, 5.3) · 58-2 (J. Mosca, 7.1) · 91-3 (Madsen, 11.1) · 132-4 (Smuts, 16.5)
Canada Innings : 146/6 (20 overs, RR 7.30)
| Player | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuvraj Samra | c Jaspreet Singh b Smuts | 33 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 143.48 |
| Dilpreet Bajwa (c) | c Stewart b Thomas Draca | 37 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 108.82 |
| Navneet Dhaliwal | c Stewart b Ben Manenti | 15 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 78.95 |
| Nicholas Kirton | c Ali Hasan b Stewart | 33 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 122.22 |
| Harsh Thaker | c W Madsen b Ali Hasan | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Shreyas Movva (wk) | run out (Madsen/Manenti) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Dilon Heyliger | not out | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Saad Bin Zafar | not out | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 150.00 |
Extras: 9 (w 9) · Did not bat: Kanwarpal Tathgur, Jaskaran Singh, Shivam Sharma, Kaleem Sana, Ravinderpal Singh, Ansh Patel, Ajayveer Hundal
Bowling : Italy
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | NB | WD | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Draca | 4 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8.50 |
| Ali Hasan | 4 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5.50 |
| Grant Stewart | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6.00 |
| Jaspreet Singh | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| JJ Smuts | 4 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.50 |
| Ben Manenti | 4 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5.50 |
Fall of wickets: 55-1 (Samra, 6.4) · 85-2 (Bajwa, 11.3) · 100-3 (Dhaliwal, 13.3) · 105-4 (Thaker, 14.4) · 117-5 (Movva, 15.5) · 143-6 (Kirton, 19.4)
Key Moments & Tactical Analysis
Toss impact: Canada won the toss and elected to field first under lights, backing their bowlers to defend a target on a pitch offering pace and bounce. The decision looked reasonable early on but Italy’s middle-order acceleration ultimately made the total difficult to chase.
Powerplay momentum: Italy’s openers, Justin and Anthony Mosca, gave their side a 45-run start inside the first six overs, setting the tone for a competitive total. In reply, Samra and Bajwa matched that intent, taking Canada to 55 without loss inside the powerplay overs.
Turning point: The match swung in the 7th over when Smuts removed Samra, followed by a cluster of wickets between the 11th and 15th overs — Bajwa, Dhaliwal and Thaker all fell within 3.1 overs, dragging Canada from a healthy position to 105 for 4 by the 14.4-over mark.
Captaincy decisions: Italy captain Wayne Madsen’s decision to bat first paid off once Smuts and the Manenti brothers rebuilt after the early loss of both openers. Canada’s Dilpreet Bajwa rotated his bowling attack across six different options, a move that helped restrict Italy to under 8 runs per over despite the flying start.
Pitch & dew factor: Conditions were reported as offering fast and bounce for bowlers, with average batting conditions overall. Mist and humidity around 75% at the Chennai venue likely played a role in the tighter economy rates recorded by both sides’ bowlers in the back end of the match.
Key Stats Comparison Table
| Metric | Italy | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Total Runs | 156 | 146 |
| Extras | 8 | 9 |
| Boundaries (4s+6s) | 16 | N/A |
| Run Rate | 7.80 | 7.30 |
A quick statistical insight from this Italy National Cricket Team vs Canada National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Italy’s slightly higher run rate of 7.80 compared to Canada’s 7.30 proved decisive, showing how the extra momentum generated by the Manenti brothers in the closing overs made the difference in a match that was closely fought for long stretches.
Playing XI, Lineups and Match Statistics
Italy fielded a squad of 15 for the fixture (11 batting, 11 fielding), with Wayne Madsen leading the side. Confirmed contributors with the bat included Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, JJ Smuts, Wayne Madsen, Harry Manenti and Ben Manenti, while the bowling attack used across the innings featured Kaleem Sana’s Canadian counterparts on the receiving end.
Canada also fielded 15 players for the match (11 batting, 11 fielding) under Dilpreet Bajwa’s captaincy. Confirmed batters who came to the crease included Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa, Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Shreyas Movva and Nicholas Kirton. Players such as Jaskaran Singh, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Kaleem Sana, Ravinderpal Singh, AP Patel, Shivam Sharma and AS Hundal were part of the squad and featured in the bowling attack.
Fall of wickets — Italy: 1-45 (Anthony Mosca, 5.3 ov), 2-58 (Justin Mosca, 7.1 ov), 3-91 (Wayne Madsen, 11.1 ov), 4-132 (JJ Smuts, 16.5 ov).
Fall of wickets — Canada: 1-55 (Yuvraj Samra, 6.4 ov), 2-85 (Dilpreet Bajwa, 11.3 ov), 3-100 (Navneet Dhaliwal, 13.3 ov), 4-105 (Harsh Thaker, 14.4 ov), 5-117 (Shreyas Movva, 15.5 ov), 6-143 (Nicholas Kirton, 19.4 ov).
Key partnerships: Italy’s 45-run opening stand between the Mosca brothers and their 41-run fourth-wicket stand between Smuts and Harry Manenti were the platform for their total. Canada’s 55-run opening partnership between Samra and Bajwa was the best of the match by any pair, but no other Canadian stand crossed 30 runs, which ultimately cost them the chase.
Expert Match Analysis
This Canada T20 Scorecard tells the story of two contrasting middle overs. Italy lost only one wicket between overs 8 and 16, allowing Smuts and the Manenti brothers to build steadily without needing risky shots. Canada, by contrast, lost four wickets between overs 7 and 15, a period that effectively decided the match. For a team playing their maiden T20 World Cup, Italy’s composure under pressure — particularly from a bowling unit where five different bowlers shared the wickets — was the standout feature of this Italy Cricket T20 World Cup warm-up fixture.
Canada’s batting depth, featuring experienced campaigners like Dhaliwal and Kirton, kept them competitive until the very end, but the inability to find a second big partnership after the fall of Samra proved costly. From a bowling perspective, Italy’s use of six bowling options, none of whom bowled more than four overs, meant Canada never got to target a specific bowler for an extended period.
Head-to-Head Record and Historical Rivalry Context
Italy and Canada come from different ICC regional pathways — Italy plays under ICC Europe, while Canada competes in the ICC Americas region — and as a result, the two nations have almost no shared cricketing history at senior international level. Italy played their maiden T20I in 2019 against Germany, while Canada’s T20I journey also began in 2019, but their paths simply never crossed on the associate circuit until this Chennai fixture. Based on available official records, no prior Italy vs Canada T20I meeting exists before this warm-up game, which makes the February 2, 2026 clash effectively the first-ever meeting between the two sides in the format.
| Detail | Record |
|---|---|
| Total Prior Meetings (all formats) | N/A (no verified prior fixture found) |
| Total T20I Meetings | 1 (this Chennai warm-up) |
| Italy Wins | 1 |
| Canada Wins | 0 |
| Matches Tied / No Result | 0 |
| First-Ever Meeting | February 2, 2026, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| ICC Region — Italy | Europe |
| ICC Region — Canada | Americas |
| Context | Warm-up fixture ahead of 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup |
This Chennai warm-up marked one of the more high-profile meetings between the nations, coming just a week before both teams were set to begin their respective 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaigns — Italy against Scotland in Kolkata and Canada against South Africa in Ahmedabad. With Italy making their maiden appearance at a global cricket World Cup and Canada returning for a second successive edition after debuting in 2024, neither side had faced the other competitively before, making tactical planning for this game largely about internal preparation rather than exploiting known patterns from past meetings.
Given the absence of any established rivalry between these two associate nations at senior level, this Ita vs Can contest was viewed more as a preparatory measuring stick than part of an ongoing rivalry, with both sides using the fixture to fine-tune combinations before the tournament proper. Should the two sides cross paths again in a future ICC event, Italy will carry the psychological edge of having won the only meeting on record so far.
Conclusion
Italy’s 10-run win over Canada carries no direct bearing on ICC T20 World Cup points since it was a warm-up fixture, but the psychological boost for a team appearing at its first-ever World Cup should not be understated. For Canada, the defeat offered clear areas to address, particularly around building a second substantial partnership after early wickets. Both sides now shift focus to their official tournament openers, with Italy facing Scotland in Kolkata and Canada taking on South Africa in Ahmedabad, both fixtures scheduled for February 9, 2026.
This complete Italy National Cricket Team vs Canada National Cricket Team Match Scorecard underlines how fine margins — a 45-run opening stand here, a cluster of wickets there — can decide even a warm-up contest between two associate nations building towards the global stage.
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FAQs “Italy National Cricket Team vs Canada National Cricket Team Match Scorecard“
What was the final score?
Italy 156/4 in 20 overs beat Canada 146/6 in 20 overs, with Italy winning by 10 runs.
Who was Player of the Match?
JJ Smuts of Italy, for his 49 off 37 balls and one wicket for 30 runs.
Who scored the most runs?
JJ Smuts top-scored for Italy with 49, while Dilpreet Bajwa (37) and Yuvraj Samra (33) led Canada’s chase.
Who took the most wickets?
No bowler took more than one wicket; five Italian bowlers and five Canadian bowlers each picked up a single wicket.
What was the turning point?
Canada losing Bajwa, Dhaliwal and Thaker within 3.1 overs between the 11th and 15th overs, which pulled them behind the required run rate after a strong start.

