Italy Captain injured - (Source: X.com)
On Monday, February 9, Italy entered the history books as The Azzurri featured in their first-ever T20 World Cup when they took on Scotland at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. However, the celebrations were cut short following their captain Wayne Madsen’s nasty injury.
On the 2nd ball of the 4th over, George Munsey smacked a short-pitched delivery for a four. Meanwhile, Italy captain Wayne Madsen made a full-stretched dive at the boundary rope to stop the ball. However, the 42-year-old landed on the practice pitch and injured his shoulder. The star player was in deep pain as the physios rushed to attend to him.
Madsen held his shoulder in pain, and the doctors rushed him out of the field for medical evaluation and scans.
Wayne Madsen likely to be out of World Cup after shoulder dislocation
A few minutes after Madsen’s injury, match presenter Ian Bishop confirmed on air that the Italy captain has suffered a shoulder dislocation and would not take any further part in this game. Bishop also added that Madsen has been sent for further scans to understand the extent of the injury.
Although it is not confirmed officially, a shoulder dislocation takes several weeks to recover from, therefore ending Wayne’s World Cup campaign.
Who is Wayne Madsen? Italy’s former Hockey star turned cricketer?
Notably, the 42-year-old made his Italy debut at the age of 39, but has been playing across leagues for years. He featured in SA leagues, PSL and a few other leagues as well. Meanwhile, for the unversed, he switched to cricket quite late in his career and played hockey in his younger days.
He featured for South Africa in the Hockey World Cup in 2006 and 20 years later, representing Italy in the T20 World Cup 2026. Madsen was just 22 years old when he was picked in South Africa's Hockey World Cup squad. Nonetheless, his absence is a big concern for Italy because he has 205 runs in just seven innings, averaging 34.17.
Madsen’s injury: a possible comeback for Rory Burns?
Italy’s T20 World Cup 2026 qualification is no short of a miracle, and their biggest magician has been denied a ticket to this extravaganza in India and Sri Lanka. Rory Burns was the key figure who turned Italy’s World Cup dream into a reality.
However, his harsh criticism for the board’s functioning and public resentment against the board led to his ouster from the team. It was his exit that led to Wayne Madsen leading the team. Now that the 42-year-old is out of the T20 World Cup, Italy are in crisis, and they can dial up their man Burns to strengthen their batting unit.
So far, in Wayne’s absence, Harry Manenti is leading the side. Talking about the ongoing match, Italy have their first-ever wicket in the World Cup, but are trailing behind in the game as Scotland have put 135/1 after 14.3 overs.
