Italy are going to a World Cup. The side, still semi-pro in parts, slipped to a six-wicket defeat against the Netherlands in The Hague but still did enough to qualify for the 2026 men’s T20 showpiece in India and Sri Lanka – the country’s first appearance at any global cricket event. The Dutch, as expected, also went through; Scotland, rather against the script, went home.
“It’s hard to sum up what this means for the lads back in Rome and Milan,” captain-coach Joe Burns said afterwards. “We lost the match but, honestly, we’ve won the week.”
How it unfolded
Italy began the final day knowing a narrow loss would be fine. Put in, they slipped to 41 for 3 once Burns skied Roelof van der Merwe’s left-arm spin. Marcus Campopiano was lbw soon after and at 46 for 4 a collapse looked on, only for Ben Manenti to nurse the innings. His 37 from 29 balls, backed up by late boundaries from Grant Stewart and young Anthony Mosca, dragged the total to 134 for 7. Van der Merwe’s 3 for 15 was the standout spell.
Netherlands then came out as though they had a train to catch. Max O’Dowd belted 42 not out from 32 balls; Michael Levitt’s brisk 34 meant 66 came inside the powerplay. Italy’s fielders checked their calculators each over, and by the time Scott Edwards joined O’Dowd the qualification equation – don’t lose inside 14.4 overs – was comfortable enough. Edwards finished 29* and the chase ended after 16.2 overs, more than safe for Italy.
“My job was simple: get us over the line and make sure Italy stayed up there with us,” Edwards said. “Max set it up, really.”
Scotland stunned
Earlier, Jersey had pulled off a first-ever win against Scotland – a one-wicket scramble sealed from the final ball. Chasing 134, Jersey were 81 for 1 before Nick Greenwood’s dismissal sparked 8 for 48. Nerves shredded, captain Charles Perchard and No. 11 Jake Dunford nudged the last four deliveries 2, 1, 1, 1 to sneak home. It left Scotland out on net run-rate; the defending regional champions had reached every T20 World Cup since 2014.
“We’re gutted,” Scotland coach Shane Burger admitted. “One bad afternoon can cost you an entire cycle; that’s Associate cricket.”
Manenti brothers star
Italy’s Harry Manenti, wicketless against the Dutch, still topped the tournament bowling charts with eight at 9.62. “Nice stat but I’d swap it for Scott’s trophy,” he joked, nodding at Edwards during the mixed-zone chats.
Qualification picture
Fifteen of the 20 spots for 2026 are now locked. Three emerge from the East-Asia Pacific event next month, and two from the Africa qualifier later in the year.
Associate cricket can feel brutal – short tournaments, tiny margins – yet days like this are the pay-off. Italy’s players rang friends, parents and club-mates on the outfield long after the crowd drifted away. Burns summed it up, a grin plastered across his face: “First time, history made. And the scary thing? We reckon we can get better between now and 2026.”
Not many would begrudge them that ambition.
