England narrowly manage to seal Super Eight spot

KOLKATA: Will Jack’s record fifty helped sloppy England edge past Italy in a nervy 24-run win in the 29th fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here at the Eden Gardens on Monday.

On September 203, Italy were bowled out for 178 on the last ball of the innings.

Jofra Archer gave Italy a poor start, losing three wickets in four overs.

As a result, Italy were at 22-3 when captain Ben Manenti arrived at the crease and steadied the innings with a 92-run stand alongside Justin Mosca.

The duo not only mounted a comeback but also fought back, keeping the required run rate in check.

The promising partnership culminated with the wicket of Ben Manenti, who was dismissed after hitting Will Jacks with two sixes and a four.

Jacks had the last word, scoring 60 for 25, with six maximums and four boundaries.

Despite their elimination, Italy was still in the game thanks to Grant Stewart, who gave the team hope, scoring 45 from 23 with the help of five sixes and two fours.

But his dismissal in the penultimate over dashed the Azzurri’s hopes of a memorable victory.

For England, Jamie Overton dismissed three batsmen in his four overs, conceding only 18 runs.

England had previously posted 202-7 in his 20 overs in a crucial Group C clash against Italy.

Most of England’s batsmen got off to a good start against the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, after Harry Brook won the coin toss and elected to bat.

But only Jacks, who reached his fifty from 21 balls, capitalized, as Italy continued to earn points with regular wickets.

Jacks took control of the match after England faltered at 105-5 in the 13th over.

He scored 54 in 25 balls with Sam Curran (25) for the sixth wicket and 35 in 16 with Jamie Overton (15) for the seventh.

His fourth six, which took him to fifty, also allowed England to surpass 200 runs for the first time in the tournament, with Jacks finishing with 53 not out from 22 balls.

An England victory will secure a place in the Super Eight alongside West Indies, who have already qualified from Group C.

A defeat will leave them with two wins and two losses from their four matches and will depend on the final results of this week’s group.

England fielded an unchanged lineup for the third consecutive match and found themselves at 56-2 at the end of the six-over power play, having lost both openers.

Jos Buttler, who has failed to break 30 points in the tournament so far, continued his low-scoring streak with three runs.

Phil Salt had a brisk start, before also falling for 28 runs from 15 balls with two sixes.

Both were dismissed while attempting big shots, and when Jacob Bethell followed suit with 23 runs, England were reeling at 67-3 in the eighth over.

Brook hit a four and a six from the first two balls of JJ Smuts’s third over.

He deflected the next ball to wicketkeeper Gian-Piero Meade, looking to cut, and England were on 92-4 after 11 overs.