It is not known whether England’s players have spent hours studying videos of Italy ahead of their T20 World Cup group match on Monday. Intel on the Italians is relatively scarce, beyond their two games in this event so far, against Scotland and Nepal.
But when they warm up ahead of the game at the vast Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, at least a couple of the England players might glance across the field and think: “I know you.”
Will Jacks and Sam Curran both have the same employer as Italy’s Marcus Campopiano. While those two are stars of Surrey and England cricket, their colleague-turned-counterpart has a less visible role.
Campopiano is the strength and conditioning coach of the Surrey women’s section. He plays part-time cricket in the Surrey Premier League, and has made it to the T20 World Cup via a circuitous route.
Born in London, his conspicuously Italian surname derives from his grandparents, who moved from Caserta, near Naples, in the 1950s.
Migration at the time was common by Italians escaping poverty in search of opportunities in the UK, which was rebuilding after Second World War.
Campopiano’s father, Gianni, has an English passport and does not speak Italian, while it is his mother’s side of the family who he has to thank for falling into cricket.
He excelled at rugby and cricket when he was growing up. While playing county second team cricket when he was trying to make it as a professional, his paths crossed with Gareth Berg, the former Italy captain and coach.
“They were actually talking to him about a different player who was Italian, who had Italian heritage, but they also flicked my name to him,” Campopiano said.
“Everyone has said before, ‘Oh, you're Italian, do you think you could play?’ and I had actually messaged them two years before.
“I said, look, I'd love to play, but they said you need a passport. I then went through that procedure. It's very difficult, very long and if you don't know what you're doing or speak Italian fluently, at that time it was almost impossible.”
Italy’s rise to the point where it now has a T20 World Cup win to its name, after they beat Nepal on Thursday, was fast-tracked by savvy use of the ICC’s eligibility criteria.
It means they now have an expanded pool of players to select from, including players like Campopiano, who has been playing for them for four years now.
Although he has never lived in the country, he does sometimes use the language when on the field. He says he speaks “broken Italian” which is improving.
“On the bus I can make out some words and speak in Italian, but when they start talking my head goes into a jumble and I can't listen to them,” Campopiano said. “I need to work on my listening, my reading and my speaking is getting there.”
The Italy squad is a testament to the effects of migration. It includes players who have brought the game with them after moving to Italy, as well as one’s like Campopiano, who have Italian heritage and learnt the game abroad.
Harry Manenti, who captained the side in the win against Nepal in the absence of the injured Wayne Madsen, is from Australia.
“I come from a strong Italian family and so do all the boys,” Manenti said after the extraordinary 10-wicket win over Nepal.
“I opened up my phone once I got in the change rooms. I had messages from my nonna (grandmother) and from my father, who has Italian heritage.
“It's really special to be able to represent your family, your family's heritage in a World Cup. It's something that very few people in the game get to do.”
Campopiano believes the side’s diversity is its strength. “We're a real melting pot of cultures; that really is exciting and is one of our unique selling points as a team,” Campopiano said.
“The opportunity to play against England is going to be a really special day. I work with some of those players as well, so I see them on a regular basis.
“They're obviously an incredible team with a massive history, so we just want to try to love every minute of that game.”
And, while they have full respect for their opposition, Italy coach John Davison says their target will be no different.
“You don't go into a game thinking that you're going to lose it, and the next two games [England then West Indies] will have to be the same way,” Davison said.
“Go in and play brave cricket. If we're timid against the big boys, then we're no chance. We have to really try to take it to them.
“We'll take some learning from the way Nepal played against England. They took the game to them. You saw when you put the favourite team under pressure, they tend to not play as well. So that will be our intention.”
