JJ Smuts has never been to Italy, but he's playing for them at the World Cup

On February 9, Jon-Jon Smuts will play in a World Cup for a country he has never even been to.

The South African-born, South African-capped player is part of Italy's T20 World Cup squad, after qualifying for a passport through marriage. Though he has never seen the sights of Rome, Florence, or Venice, he believes he already has some understanding of the Italian psyche and that he fits right in.

"Italian people are very passionate, so it all comes out when we play," he said from Dubai, where Italy held a pre-tournament camp and played a series against Ireland. "I've also just witnessed and experienced our first win against Ireland. It's obviously Italy's first win against a big nation. We feel we can compete with teams like that."

He's not wrong. Before the Ireland result, in which Smuts' 2 for 18 was key in bowling Ireland out for 154, Italy beat last-minute T20 World Cup entrants Scotland in the Europe Regional Final. Italy went on to finish second to Netherlands and secure their spots at the upcoming World Cup.

Smuts was not part of that side but he had been in discussions with the Italian Cricket Federation for a while as they cast the net as wide as possible to boost their game. "We'd been chatting briefly for about two years, but nothing really worked out due to scheduling and with domestic contracts and everything like that."

For the last 19 years Smuts has played cricket in South Africa, mostly for his home union Eastern Cape (and the Warriors franchise) and more recently for Durban-based Dolphins. He is known for his consistent, clean hitting at the top of the order and economical left-arm spin, and had brief dalliances with the South African national side between 2017 and 2021. He had no major ambitions to change nationalities and seek another career; his wife Judi (née Castignani) looked into the entire family getting Italian passports through ancestry for ease of travel and to take advantage of opportunities to work. Roughly four years ago, Smuts got his documents.

Still, at 37, he did not imagine he would get a call-up, and especially not for their most important assignment. "I never thought I'd play a World Cup, even though I would always try and train at an international standard to make sure I'm always able to up the intensity if I need to go through the gears. I didn't play loads of international cricket for South Africa but I played enough to understand what it's about. And in my last few games, I did reasonably well for South Africa, so I took a lot of confidence from that into coming to play for Italy, knowing that I understand what the international scene is about. I know how difficult it can be, but also realise that I'm still more than capable of contributing and performing here."

Smuts played six ODIs and 16 T20Is for South Africa between 2017 and 2021 with a standout performance of 84 and 2 for 42 in an ODI against Australia just before the Covid-19 pandemic. The interruption in cricket that followed, the massive fractures in the South African set-up over the next two years, and the fact that he was competing in a packed field meant he could not hold down his place. But he has no regrets. "Every player will always feel they could have played for longer, but deep down I know South Africa has a rich history of producing really good cricketers," he said. "I'd love to have had a much longer career, but we have had some really world-class superstars. South Africa always has a very competitive side so it's very easy to get in for a few games and then be out of the South African mix."

Instead, his focus has been on being the best senior he could be, and an ambassador for sportspeople living with a chronic condition. A little known fact about Smuts is that he has played his entire career with Type 1 diabetes. He tests his blood sugar levels with a finger prick test "six to eight times a day" and injects himself with insulin a minimum of four times a day.

"Playing cricket is really tough with the emotions, the adrenaline, ups and downs, so it's not as easy. But I'm in constant contact with my doctor, who is very understanding. It's one of those things that I've had to deal with, but I feel like I've stayed on the good side of it for the majority of my career."

He has also consistently excelled domestically and continues to, even late into his 30s. Last summer Smuts topped the run charts in the CSA one-day challenge. He outscored Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius and scored six fifties in nine innings to help Dolphins win the cup. It's experience like that that Italy are after and Smuts provides it in spades.

With 230 T20 matches to his name, Smuts is Italy's most experienced player and also their most successful. No one in the squad has more wickets than his 133, and only Wayne Madsen has more runs (5516 to Smuts' 5006).

"I am the only one with international experience, and the thing that's been so awesome about it is just how well I feel I've fitted into the side, and how they've accepted me," Smuts said. "They ask a lot of questions. They want to pick your brain. They want you to help other players and just, you know, be yourself, which I think is obviously the most important thing."

He also brings a dash of realism that comes from years in the game and learning to manage tricky situations. He is under no illusions that Italy's task in Group C - where they will come up against a familiar rival in Scotland, but will also play Nepal, West Indies and England - will be tough, but he has high hopes for his team. "The history of the game has shown that upsets do happen. For us, it's about being able to be in that frame of mind where we are willing to compete and to fight it out with these big teams. The joy of T20 cricket is, it takes one moment of brilliance from an individual to change a game and can swing a game your way. It's just really exciting because there is no expectation on us. We really can't wait to go and compete against these big teams and kind of show them all what Italian cricket's all about."

And what exactly is that?

From what Smuts has seen, it's a close-knit group of players who have bonded even though they are a blend of locals and expats, and who take the responsibility of representing Italy and growing the game there seriously.

"This group of players has been together for about two years now and the journey they've been on is massive," he said. "They've connected really well as a group of individuals. I was relatively naive to different levels of qualification, the pitches you can play on and the places you play cricket but it's been fantastic to hear about it. These players were proud of what they have achieved. That's also a big reason why the World Cup is so important for Italy. We can create awareness and just spread the game there. Having such a big T20 World Cup, with 20 teams, it's about the global game reaching different countries."

Cricket remains relatively small in Italy, and while it may seem outlandish to think that anything can rival football in the country, Smuts has a ready-made example of how other sports can emerge. Rugby, for example, is thriving after former South Africa coach Nick Mallett spearheaded the recent growth of the game during his stint as coach between 2007 and 2011. Italy's rugby team is currently ranked tenth in the world, above traditional power Wales and the emerging nations of Japan and Uruguay. Smuts hopes cricket can soon challenge more established nations in a similar way. "In the past, no one really followed rugby too much in Italy, but to see the growth has been great. The dream for Italy is to make that transition into cricket, so it can become well known a lot quicker. Obviously this World Cup plays a big role in it because we get to compete on the world stage now, which is going to be awesome."

Will he finally make the trip to the country he now represents? "I definitely will," he said, especially with the cricket plans Italy has for the next few years. "I think they're hoping to secure a facility this summer and build a turf wicket with multiple strips, so they can host games in Rome. There's lots for Italy to look forward to as they try to become more professional, not necessarily for someone like myself but for future cricketers in Italy."

At 37, this may be Smuts' first and last World Cup, but he'll never say never to seeing where the game takes him. "I'm taking six months at a time. I feel I can still compete. I feel I can still play. Am I in my prime? No, of course not. But I think my experience and knowledge can help."