Bolt of Italy blue delivers Europe T20WC Qualifier intrigue

Italy fell a win short of qualification in the equivalent qualifier in 2023, though responded in emphatic fashion to begin their qualification journey to T20 World Cup 2026, going largely unchallenged in an undefeated Sub-Regional campaign last year to secure their spot for the upcoming tournament.

Ireland legend Kevin O'Brien, part of Italy's coaching staff, says the side have enjoyed a strong preparation coming in.

"I think we've identified where we went wrong last time in Scotland (in the last cycle). We've looked at trying to change that, over the past few months or so," the Assistant coach said.

"We're well set after the two warm-up games this week, and we had a nice camp in Horsham (Sussex) where we played three games.

"All in all, I think it's coming together, (and) the confidence is high in the group and we've got some very experienced players in the team, experience from all over the world as well.

"Fingers crossed we can we can play some smart cricket over the next six or seven days and look to qualify for the World Cup, which would be absolutely huge for Italian cricket and would really push the federation forward in terms of where it needs to be to continue to make the strides off the pitch, (and) to match the strides we've made on the pitch over the last two or three years."

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