England are through to the next stage of the T20 World Cup but they were given another major scare in a 24-run victory over brave Italy in Kolkata.
Needing only a win to guarantee a Super 8s spot, England were on 128 for five midway through the 16th over, but Will Jacks’ T20 best of 53 not out off 22 balls from number seven powered them to 202 for seven.
The momentum was with England when Jofra Archer took two wickets in his first over but Ben Manenti reignited a seesaw contest with a jaw-dropping 60 off 25 deliveries, including six sixes and four fours.
When Jacks burgled his wicket and Sam Curran took two in two, the jig appeared to be up for Italy, only for Grant Stewart to thrash two sixes apiece off Archer and Adil Rashid, who conceded 21 in his last over to leave the tournament’s lowest-ranked side needing 30 from the last 12 balls.
Curran’s death bowling once again came to the fore as he conceded five and snared Stewart for 45, finishing with three for 22, as Italy were all out for 178, with Jamie Overton finishing things off.
England therefore finish second in Group C, behind the West Indies, but this was another unconvincing outing having also underwhelmed in their three previous matches and they head to Sri Lanka for the next phase with questions hanging over them.
Most worryingly, Jos Buttler is averaging a paltry 13.25 at the tournament following another failure and while Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell flickered, they fell feebly to catches a few metres in from the leg-side boundary after Harry Brook won the toss for the eighth T20 in a row.
When Brook was persuaded to reach out and toe-end a wider delivery to the wicketkeeper and Tom Banton miscued a Crishan Kalugamage googly into the deep, England were 105 for five with no one progressing beyond 30.
But the momentum changed in the final three balls of Ben Manenti’s spell. Having subdued England with his fast off-spinners, Manenti looked on furiously when Kalugamage’s misfield led to a four for Jacks, who then thrashed back-to-back sixes – the second off a full toss – and Italy wilted thereafter.
Curran followed up two sixes off Kalugamage by curiously spooning a quicker, wider delivery to JJ Smuts to end a 54-run stand in 25 balls with Jacks, who got the scoreboard rocketing.
Two more leg-side sixes followed in the final over as Jacks brought up a 21-ball fifty, the fastest by an Englishman in this event, as well as his side’s 200, seemingly putting them out of reach.
Italy’s highest ever chase was 155 against Ireland in a warm-up last month and they were two down inside the first over, with Archer’s 90mph deliveries producing errors from Anthony Mosca and Smuts.
Buttler produced a leaping one-handed grab to see off Italy captain Harry Manenti but Justin Mosca collected three fours in an over off Archer and Ben Manenti welcomed Rashid and Liam Dawson into the attack with sixes off both spinners before clearing the rope twice off Curran.
Jacks, having leaked 13 in the powerplay, was brought back for a second over. The tactic backfired against the West Indies last week and looked set to do so again when Manenti thrashed 20 off four balls, which included a blow to reach a 22-ball half-century.
An attempt at a third leg-side six in the over was scooped up by Banton in the deep and while Curran dismissed Marcus Campopiano and Gian-Piero Meade with successive balls, Stewart made sure England could not slack off.
Only when Curran tightened up Stewart, who skewed to short third for 45 off 23 balls, were England able to breathe a sigh of relief and end the challenge of a motley crew team containing teachers, factory workers and a pizza chef in their ranks.