Italy secure maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualification

The Hague: The Italy men’s cricket team on Friday, made history as they qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for the first time.

The Italian side booked the coveted spot after finishing second in the Europe Region Final standings despite losing their last match of the campaign against the Netherlands, who also booked their spot in the mega event, scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka next year.

Ahead of the high-stakes clash, Italy were at the top of the standings with five points in three matches and made sure that they did not lose the match by a massive margin as it would have allowed Jersey, who stunned Scotland earlier today, to topple their net run rate.

Batting first, Italy’s batting unit could only yield 134/7 in their 20 overs, courtesy of a disciplined bowling performance by the home side.

Middle-order batter Ben Manenti top-scored for Italy in the all-important match with a 27-ball 30, which featured one four and two sixes.

Besides him, Grant Stewart (25), Harry Manenti (23) and skipper Joe Burns (22) made notable contributions.

Roelof van der Merwe was the standout bowler for the Netherlands, picking up three wickets for just 15 runs in his four overs. He was supported by Kyle Klein, who took two wickets, while Aryan Dutt made one scalp.

Set to chase a modest 135-run target in the must-win fixture, the Netherlands emphatically knocked the winning runs for the loss of just one wicket and 21 balls to spare.

Leading the way for the home side was opening batter Max O’Dowd, who top-scored with an unbeaten 46 off 41 deliveries, laced with three boundaries.

O’Dowd was amply supported by fellow opener Michael Levitt and skipper Edwards, who made 34 and 37 not out, respectively.

For Italy, Crishan Kalugamage picked the solitary wicket.

Despite ending up on the losing wicket, the Italian bowling unit bowled valiantly to prevent the Netherlands from chasing down the total by a bigger margin, which eventually proved decisive in their qualification.