What is 111 in cricket? How the game’s ‘Unluckiest Number’ linked to Italy’s ‘Miracolo Italiano’

Cricket has always loved its quirks, and few numbers carry as much superstition as 111. Known as the Nelson number, it’s long been associated with bad luck, wickets falling mysteriously, collapses triggered out of nowhere, and dressing rooms growing uneasy the moment the score ticks over.

The legend traces back to Admiral Horatio Nelson, believed to have ended his life with one eye, one arm, and one leg, three ones standing upright like cricket stumps. History, of course, tells us Nelson actually had both legs. But in cricket, myths don’t need to be accurate, they just need to be believed.

Now, that spooky old number has found a new companion. And it comes from the most unexpected of places: Italy.

A rare ‘New Face’ at the World Cup

Cricket doesn’t often welcome new nations to its biggest stage. The same flags tend to fly, tournament after tournament. That’s why Italy’s presence at the World Cup feels genuinely refreshing.

The ICC, celebrating Italy’s qualification, dug deep into history to remind everyone that this wasn’t a random appearance. According to ICC records, Horatio Nelson himself is believed to have organised the first-ever recorded game of cricket in Naples back in 1793, most likely, as AFP dryly noted, to keep his sailors out of trouble while docked. Suddenly, Italy’s cricketing story didn’t feel quite so new after all.

From British sailors to Serie A giants

Cricket’s early roots in Italy are closely tied to British trade and influence. English merchants, diplomats, and naval officers carried both cricket and football with them and Italian sport changed forever.

Two iconic football clubs, Genoa CFC and AC Milan, were originally founded as cricket and football clubs. Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club was established in 1893 at the British consulate, with a simple seasonal plan: cricket in summer, football in winter. The club would go on to win nine Serie A titles, becoming Italy’s oldest football powerhouse.

AC Milan followed in 1899, founded by English businessman Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin to promote both sports. Even today, that heritage hasn’t been forgotten. On its 125th anniversary, AC Milan released a long-sleeved heritage jersey proudly featuring a cricket emblem on the crest, a nod to a past where goals and wickets were chased side by side.

Handmade bats and a game that refused to die

Cricket’s survival in Italy wasn’t always smooth. According to AFP, English-born Italian colonel Francis Maceroni helped spread the game in Naples during the 1810s, but equipment was a problem.

“The first difficulty was to get bats and balls,” Maceroni wrote in his memoirs. “I set to work and made both with my own hands.”

That DIY spirit still echoes today. Italy now boasts around 4,000 registered male cricketers and nearly 80 clubs competing across a two-tier domestic structure, modest numbers, perhaps, but built on passion rather than privilege.

‘Miracolo Italiano’: From Qualifiers to Eden Gardens

Italy’s World Cup qualification wasn’t just earned, it was felt. Riccardo Maggio, Italy’s cricket development officer, summed it up perfectly.

“How did we get to the World Cup?” he told AFP. “In Italy we say Miracolo Italiano, an Italian miracle.”

Maggio knows a thing or two about miracles. He was part of the Italian side that stunned an English Cricket Board XI in 1998, sealing a famous six-wicket win. “We had to play out of our skins,” he recalled. Now, nearly three decades later, the scale is far bigger.

A date with destiny at Eden Gardens

On Monday, at the historic Eden Gardens, Italy begin their World Cup campaign against Scotland, a team they already defeated during qualification. Later awaits England, the spiritual home of the sport that once travelled to Italy on merchant ships and naval decks.

In true Italian fashion, emotion bubbles close to the surface. “And now we’re playing England at the World Cup,” Maggio said. “I’m going to cry.”

Cricket may believe in curses, numbers, and old ghosts like Nelson. But sometimes, it also makes room for miracles, and Italy’s story feels like one worth believing in.