England eye Super Eights spot as football rivals Italy stand in way
Two-time champions England will look to seal their Super Eights berth when they take on T20 World Cup debutants and fierce football rivals Italy in their final Group C match on Monday. England and Italy share a fierce sporting rivalry on the football pitch, producing some unforgettable moments, including the former’s penalty shootout win in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
On Monday, however, the rivalry will shift from football to cricket for the first time, adding an interesting sub-plot to this clash at Eden Gardens that witnessed a 35,000-plus crowd for the England-Scotland match on Saturday. The ‘Bazballers’ come into the game with momentum after a pressure win over Scotland as they seem to be slowly finding their mojo in the tournament.
The biggest positive for England was Tom Banton’s composed half-century at No. 4 during a tricky 153-run chase. On a pitch that offered bounce and carry — where six batters were dismissed attempting sweep shots — Banton showed maturity by curbing his trademark reverse flicks. He instead targeted straight boundaries, playing in the V-zone to produce one of the finest knocks of his career and keep England’s campaign alive.
Despite being known for their aggressive ‘Bazball’ style, England have looked cautious so far, as was also admitted by captain Harry Brook after the defeat to West Indies. “We haven’t quite made it as easy as we’d have liked so far in this comp, but hopefully we can have a slightly easier run, starting with Italy on Monday,” Brook said after the Scotland win. “You don’t want to start that too early in competitions like this, and hopefully that can be the start of it against Italy.” Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Brook himself are yet to fire consistently.
Salt gave England a flying start with a quick 30 against West Indies but has managed only scores of 1 and 2 against Nepal and Scotland. Having enjoyed success at Eden Gardens during Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL triumph, Salt will hope familiar conditions help him rediscover his explosive batting. Buttler also got starts (26, 21 and 3) without converting them into big scores, while Brook will want to lead from the front after modest returns in the last two games.
In bowling, England looked sharp against Scotland with Jofra Archer using pace and bounce effectively in the powerplay, while the spin twins Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson choked the runs in the middle overs and they will aim to follow the same template against Italy. Italy on the other hand bring the unknown factor. The debutants are high on confidence after a commanding 10-wicket win over Nepal, their maiden victory of the tournament. The win came in the absence of their regular skipper Wayne Madsen who dislocated his shoulder in their debut match against Scotland here.
But Madsen is “optimistic” of his return and it remains to be seen if the 42-year-old makes a return for their clash against England. The Mosca brothers — Justin and Anthony — struck unbeaten fifties in that game against Nepal and have been key to Italy’s batting. The Manenti brothers — Harry and Ben — have also played important roles both with the bat and ball. Off-spinner Ben has opened with the new ball and has been effective, while Sri Lankan-origin leg-spinner Crishan Kalugamage has added variety to their attack and returned with four wickets against Nepal. Italy will be pumped up for this contest against their football rivals, and an upset win could open up the Group C table, with Scotland also in contention.
