For the first time ever, Italy have sealed a spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be played in Sri Lanka and India next year. Despite a nine-wicket loss to the Netherlands, Italy held their nerve, dragging the match to clinch qualification on superior net run rate. Finally, both teams qualified for the mega event. Defending 134/7, Italy needed to control the Netherlands for at least 15 overs to qualify for the showpiece event and they did so to qualify for the World Cup.
After deciding to bat, Italy posted a total of 134 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. They had key contributions from Ben Manenti (30) and Grant Stewart (25). Joe Burns and Harry Manenti also scored (22) and (23), respectively. For Netherlands, Michael Levitt (34), Max O'Dowd (47*), and Scott Edwards (37*) made great contributions, chasing down Italy’s total with ease in 16.2 overs