Kolkata, February 16 – Italy fought valiantly until the end, but England secured a 24-run victory to qualify for the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup from Group C, here on Monday.
Chasing a challenging 203, Italy responded with 178 all out. Ben Manenti led the batting with a brisk 60 off 25 balls (4x4s, 6x6s), while Justin Mosca scored 43 off 34 balls and Grant Stewart hit 45 off 23 balls (2x4s, 5x6s).
Earlier, Will Jacks scored a quick 53 not out in the final overs to help England reach 202/7. He smashed four sixes and three fours in his 22-ball innings.
Phil Salt (28), Jacob Bethell (23), Tom Banton (30), and even captain Harry Brook contributed to the total.
Brief scores: England 202 for 7 in 20 overs (Tom Banton 30, Will Jacks 53 not out; Crishan Kalugamage 2/41) beat Italy 178 in 20 overs (Justin Mosca 43, Ben Manenti 60, Grant Stewart 45; Jamie Overton 3/18, Sam Curran 3/22) by 24 runs.
