Awesome Azzurri: How Italy stunned Europe, T20 World Cup hopes and building a cricket legacy

It was anything but a flash in a pan - and as Burns points out - the side had acquired intelligence on the Voorburg surface, and had mapped out every scenario to the point where nothing felt new to them.

“So I think going back a few months, we got some information about what the wicket would likely play like.

“We knew the strengths of our players were really clear and how we wanted to play and the process that we wanted to go about things.

“So I guess by the time we got to the game, we're almost on autopilot knowing how we'd prepared.”

Turning heads and in pole position, Burns and the Italians had done the maths knowing that even a narrow defeat to the Dutch would mean punching World Cup tickets on the final day in the single round-robin event.

Burns admits he had to turn his attention to damage limitation to seal the team’s path.

“There were probably two games in a game there,” he said. “Obviously we start the game trying to win it. It didn't go to plan. They outplayed us in the first 10 overs, and then from there we really just had to get a score on the board that we could defend in I think it was 14.3 overs.

“The batters did really well. We got to 133. And then that first six overs we got punched in the face and all the momentum was going against us.

“Because the spinners have been effective, there was a temptation to kind of bring the spinners on early in the Powerplay.

“For me I knew the spinners had bowled so well in the tournament that once we got out of the Powerplay and we got the field back, we were going to be able to regain control.

“And I think the way that Crishan (Kalugamage) and Ben Manenti came on at both ends, I think they both bowled four overs to spin and just clawed back the game.”

A former Australia international with four Test centuries to his name, Burns qualifies for the Italians through his family heritage, and made his goals clear in 2024 ahead of Sub-Regional qualifying on the road to 2026.

His shirt number of 85 was a nod to his late brother Dominic, and wants the progress of the Italian national team to inspire anyone with ties to the country.

“Maybe it's because I'm a little bit older, but as you get older in life, you have a stronger understanding of who you are, where you come from.

“For me, it was an opportunity to unite family and cricket, and I think for our group, everyone has a really similar story to that.

“We did a great culture piece in Rome (in the build-up to the Qualifier), about who we are, where we come from, understanding each other's families and sacrifices made, even guys who had come from the subcontinent, the sacrifices that have been made to move to Italy, similar to the way our grandparents left after World War II.

“I think in anything in life, it's about the impact you can have on others as well, and the opportunity that this team had to create something special for so many people greater than the squad of 15 or the 11 players on the field. We really wanted to create that legacy for future generations.

“Obviously, funding and opportunities that come with that, what the future of cricket in Italy might look like, is a huge motivating factor.

“It just made the journey really special for all of us knowing the goal at the end of it and the outcomes at the end of it were so significant for the Federation.”

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