KOLKATA, India: England survived a big scare to beat tournament debutants Italy by 24 runs in their T20 World Cup group match at Eden Gardens on Monday.
England looked in control for most of the game. But Italy’s batters fought back hard in the middle overs and gave the English team a real fright.
Jacks powers England to big total
England batted first and scored 202 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 20 overs.
The star for England was Will Jacks. He played a brilliant knock of 53 runs from just 22 balls.
He hit four sixes and three fours and batted with great speed when his team needed him most.
Phil Salt made 28 at the top, while Tom Banton scored 30. Sam Curran also helped with a quick 25 runs.
For Italy, bowlers Grant Stewart and Crishan Kalugamage took two wickets each.
They bowled well but could not stop England from reaching 200.
Italy fight back through Manenti brothers
Chasing 203 to win, Italy had a terrible start. England fast bowler Jofra Archer struck twice in the very first over.
He sent back Anthony Mosca and JJ Smuts for zero runs each. Italy were 1 for 2 wickets, and then 22 for 3 soon after.
The match looked over for them. But then came the fight.
Ben Manenti played a stunning innings. He smashed 60 runs from just 25 balls.
He hit six sixes and four fours. The crowd at Eden Gardens loved every bit of it.
His brother Justin Mosca supported him well with 43 runs from 34 balls. The pair added 96 runs together and brought Italy back into the game.
When Ben Manenti got out, Grant Stewart continued the attack. He hammered 45 runs from 23 balls with five sixes.
Suddenly, Italy needed 53 runs from the last four overs. England looked worried.
Curran and Overton seal the win
But England’s bowlers kept their cool at the death.
Sam Curran took three big wickets in quick time. He dismissed Marcus Campopiano and Gian-Piero Meade in the same over.
Jamie Overton also bowled well and finished with three wickets.
Italy were finally bowled out for 178 runs. England won by 24 runs.
England’s next match will be against Bangladesh on February 19. Italy will look for their first win when they play Ireland.
