Italy will make their debut in international cricket when they take on Austria in a five-match series starting Monday (August 9). The T20I series is scheduled to be played at the Roma Cricket Club in Spinaceto in Via Valle di Perna. The final game will be on Thursday.
A 20-member Italian training camp squad was chosen for the trial matches and practice sessions. The final 13-player squad was selected based on series between North and South conducted in July 2021 under the guidance of national coach Royce Daniel.
"This debut is the result of a programming work that began two years ago with the reorganization and restart of the women's movement," said Fabio Marabini, the President of the Italian Cricket Federation.
"It is an important point in the path we have taken, but it is important because it declares much more important goals for the future». In fact, the gaze is projected to the future qualifiers to the World Cup and to expand the base of the movement also and above all at the youth level."
The series was originally supposed to be a tri-series, with Jersey being the third participating team. But travel restrictions in place did not allow their participation.
Austria are ranked 51st in the ICC T20I rankings for teams. They have played eight T20Is so far, the last of which came against Germany in August 2020.