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England Crush Italy by 24 Runs, Storm into T20 World Cup Super Eights

England secured a 24-run victory over Italy at Eden Gardens to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. Batting first, a blistering unbeaten 53 from Will Jacks propelled England to a formidable total of 203 for 8. In reply, Italy fought hard with Ben Manenti scoring 60 and Grant Stewart making 45, but finished at 178 for 9. Will Jacks was awarded the Player of the Match for his decisive innings.

Key Points: England Beat Italy, Qualify for T20 World Cup Super Eights

  • England posts 203/8
  • Will Jacks scores 53* off 22 balls
  • Italy finishes at 178/9
  • Ben Manenti hits 60 for Italy
  • England qualifies for Super Eights
2 min read

T20 World Cup: England beat Italy by 24 runs, qualify for Super Eights

England defeats Italy by 24 runs at Eden Gardens. Will Jacks' explosive 53* powers England to 203, securing their Super Eight spot.

"Will Jacks was named Player of the Match for his match-winning performance."

Kolkata, February 16

England entered the Super Eights after a convincing 24-run victory over Italy in match 29 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 held at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday.

The Harry Brook-led England opted to bat first after winning the toss and set a big target of 203 runs for the fellow European side. Then they successfully defended the target and won the match.

Phil Salt (28 off 15 balls) gave a blazing start, but Jos Buttler failed to score again and made just three runs before giving his wicket to Grant Stewart.

Jacob Bethell (23 off 20 balls) and Tom Banton (30 off 21 balls) contributed well with the bat. Sam Curran hit a couple of sixes and made 25 runs.

Coming to bat at number 7, Will Jacks made an unbeaten 53 off just 22 balls, which helped England cross the 200-run mark.

Stewart and Crishan Kalugamage took a couple of wickets each as JJ Smuts, Ali Hasan and Ben Manenti shared one wicket each among them.

Chasing a big target of 203 runs, Italy were struck by two wickets in the first over when Jofra Archer dismissed Anthony Mosca and JJ Smuts for a duck.

Italian captain Harry Manenti made just 12 runs off 11 balls before losing his wicket to Jamie Overton.

His brother Ben Manenti (60 off 25 balls, with four 4s and six 6s) added 92 runs for the fourth wicket with Justin Mosca (43 off 32 balls, with the help of seven fours).

Stewart's quick 45 runs in just 23 balls kept the Italian side in the fray, but the English side displayed brilliant death over skills to halt them at 178 runs in 20 overs.

Will Jacks was named Player of the Match for his match-winning performance. Italy will play their last group-stage match against the West Indies on Thursday at the same venue.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a cricket fan living in Kolkata, it's fantastic to host these World Cup games. Ben Manenti played a brilliant knock for Italy though! 60 off 25 balls is no joke. Shows the associate nations are improving. Good for the global game.
A
Arjun K
England's batting depth is scary. Even when Buttler fails, someone like Will Jacks comes in at No. 7 and wins them the match. Our bowlers will need to be at their absolute best. Jofra's opening spell was pure fire 🔥. Welcome back, Archer!
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Priya S
Honestly, while it was a good win, England's middle order looked a bit shaky before Jacks bailed them out. 203 is a big total, but they conceded 178. The bowling, apart from Archer, looked a bit expensive. Something for other teams to exploit.
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Vikram M
Italy put up a real fight! Chasing 203 and getting to 178 is commendable for a non-traditional cricket nation. Ben Manenti and Stewart played fearless cricket. The more such performances we see, the better it is for cricket's expansion. Forza Italia! 🏏
K
Karthik V
The article says "fellow European side" but let's be real, England is in a different league altogether. Italy's cricket journey is inspiring, but the gulf in class was evident. Hope the ICC does more to bridge this gap. On another note, Eden Gardens looking fabulous as always!

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