Horatio Nelson lost an arm in a battle. He was also injured in an eye, though he never lost the eye. Additionally, he never lost a leg. However, the number 111 is immortalised in cricket after his name.
Also play: Quiz! How well do you know cricket outside the Test-playing world?
Nelson was Captain when HMS Agamemnon, his frigate, had been in Naples in 1793. A team from the crew went ashore with bat and ball, and played what is usually called the first ever game of cricket in Italy.
Also play: Quiz! How well do you know Test matches at neutral venues?
Cricket did not take off in Italy until the late 1970s. The Federazione Cricket Italiana was founded in 1980. Italy became an ICC Affiliate Member in 1984 and an Associate Member the next year. In the fifth-place match of the 1998 European Championship, they famously beat an ECB XI by six wickets. Then, in 2025, their journey culminated in their qualification for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time.
Also play: Quiz! How well do you remember T20 cricket’s Champions League attempts?
Take our quiz to test your knowledge on Italy’s connections with cricket.
