Italy on verge of T20 World Cup after stunning Scotland

Rome: Italy captain Joe Burns says it feels “very surreal” after his side took a major step towards qualifying for their first T20 World Cup with a surprise 12-run victory over Scotland.

The Azzurri, ranked 32nd in the world, have moved to the top of the European Regional Qualifying group on five points, two ahead of Scotland, and have a superior net run rate.

Victory over second-placed Netherlands in their final game will rubberstamp Italy’s place at the tournament, but they remain in a good position even if they lose.

Scotland will need to win big against Jersey in their final game on Friday (10:00 BST) to substantially improve their net run rate of -0.150 and hope Italy’s, currently +1.722, takes a hit.

Burns, who played 23 Tests for Australia before pledging his allegiance to Italy last year, said he side “technically cannot celebrate too hard at the moment” after the win in the Hague and acknowledged “there’s still a big game on Friday”.

“I am really proud of the boys for this moment,” Burns said. “To come and beat Scotland, who are a fantastic team, is a nice reward for sacrifices our players, staff and federation have made.

“Hopefully this is the stepping stone for a lot to come. It’s a very emotional group at the moment. Being on the verge of a World Cup? It’s very surreal.”