Kolkata: England booked their place in the Super Eight stage of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup by beating Italy by 24 runs at the Eden Gardens on Monday.
Chasing a challenging 203, Italy mounted a strong reply but were restricted to 178 in their 20 overs.
Italy’s innings suffered a double blow early on as fast bowler Jofra Archer ducked both Anthony Mosca and JJ Smuts in the first over.
Justin Mosca and captain Harry Manenti then combined to stabilize the innings, but the partnership was short-lived as Manenti fell for 12 off 11 balls, including a four and a six, as Italy were 22-3 in four overs.
Anthony Mosca found support from Ben Manendi as the pair added 92 as Italy passed 100 and helped keep England under pressure.
However, their momentum was halted when Will Jacks dismissed Ben Manendy, who scored 60 off 25 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixes.
Justin Mosca was the next to depart for Adil Rashid with a crucial 43 off 34 balls including 7 fours.
Italy then suffered further setbacks as Sam Curran dismissed Marcus Campobiano and Gian-Pierro Mead cheaply for one wicket each as the team reeled at 138-7 in 15.5 overs.
Grant Stewart revived Italy’s hopes with a furious 45 off 23 balls, including five sixes and two fours, but Curran bowled an excellent final over, conceding just five runs and bringing an end to Stewart’s impressive performance.
Jamie Overton ended the innings by ducking out Ali Hasan to seal England’s 24-run win and progress to the Super Eight stage.
Sam Curran and Jamie Overton took three wickets each while Jofra Archer took two wickets. Will Jacks and Adil Rashid contributed a wicket each.
Opting to bat first, England made a steady start as openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler were positive at the crease. However, Grant Stewart struck early, dismissing Buttler in three balls as England were 21-1 in 2.1 overs.
Salt then combined with Jacob Bethel to rebuild the innings, adding 33 runs for the second wicket. The partnership was broken when Salt fell to Ali Hasan after scoring 28 off 15 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes.
Bethel soon followed, scoring 23 off 20 balls with two fours and a six as Ben Manenti reduced England to 67-3 in 7.3 overs.
Captain Harry Brook scored 14 off 9 balls, including a four and a six, before falling to JJ Smuts. Then Tom Panton and Sam Curran tried to push England towards the match total.
Panton scored a valuable 30 off 21 balls, including 3 fours and a six, to help England cross the 100-run mark. His fifth wicket fell when Krishan Kalugamage struck to reduce England to 105-5 in 12.4 overs.
Will Jacks then lit up the field as Curran provided solid support as England passed 150 in the 17th over.
Curran was eventually dismissed for 25 off 19 balls, which included two sixes, as Kalugamage claimed his second wicket.
Jamie Overton added crucial runs in the last overs but was dismissed in the last over by Grant Stewart for 15 off nine balls, including a four and a six.
Jacks, however, hit a six to take England past 200, scoring his maiden T20I half-century with an unbeaten 53 off 22 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes.
For Italy, Krishan Kalugamake and Grant Stewart took 2 wickets each and JJ Smuts, Ali Hasan and Ben Manenti took one wicket each.