Kolkata, February 16 England won the toss and chose to bat against Italy at the iconic Eden Gardens in their Group C match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Monday.
England strengthened their campaign by defeating Scotland, moving into second place after earlier struggles, including a defeat to the West Indies and a challenging game against Nepal. While their latest win showed improved composure, particularly during the chase, concerns remain about their top-order stability.
Italy, meanwhile, arrived with growing confidence after securing a landmark victory over Nepal, bouncing back strongly from a difficult start. Their disciplined bowling and confident batting reflected a side beginning to adapt to the demands of this level.
This match presents a tougher challenge, but Italy will aim to build on their momentum. For England, it is an opportunity to consolidate their position; for Italy, another chance to challenge expectations and continue their upward progress.
Winning the toss, England captain Harry Brook said, "We're going to bat today. We feel it's the right decision. Statistically, there isn't much difference, so yeah, we just need to bat today. I think, in our case, having a fearless batting approach, looking to put pressure on the opposition and focusing on the result rather than the risk... Same team. I think everyone knows that we haven't had much success, but we've managed to get through a couple of games, which has been crucial. So, hopefully, we can have a good performance today."
Meanwhile, Italy skipper Harry Manenti said, "We were going to bowl anyway, so it works nicely. We were debating what to do, and it's nice that I didn't have to make the decision. Coming off the win gives us confidence. We entered the tournament with confidence. We are unchanged. Wayne is recovering well, and he won't be ready today; we'll try in a few days."
Playing XIs:
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Italy: Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, JJ Smuts, Harry Manenti (c), Ben Manenti, Marcus Campopiano, Grant Stewart, Gian Meade (wk), Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Ali Hasan
