Sport

Ireland hold nerve to see off Italy and make winning start to T20 World Cup qualifiers

Curtis Campher and Mark Adair play key roles in seven-run victory in Edinburgh

Curtis Campher hit 61 in Ireland's victory over Italy in Edinburgh. Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images
Curtis Campher hit 61 in Ireland's victory over Italy in Edinburgh. Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images
Thu Jul 20 2023 - 15:51

Ireland 158-8 (20 ovs) (C Campher 61, H Tector 41, A Balbirnie 26; G Berg 3-24, H Manenti 3-39) beat Italy 151-9 (20 ovs) (M Adair 3-33, B White 2-22, J Little 2-29) by 7 runs

Curtis Campher and Mark Adair combined to edge Ireland to victory over Italy to get their ICC men’s T20 World Cup Europe qualifier campaign off to a winning start in Scotland.

Campher blasted 61 from 39 balls as Ireland recovered from a poor start at Edinburgh’s Goldenacre Cricket Ground to post 158 for eight, before Adair ensured they got home by seven runs with a three-wicket haul.

Italy won the toss and put Ireland in, and the decision paid early dividends when skipper Paul Stirling was bowled by Harry Manenti for just two.

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Fellow opener Andrew Balbirnie was joined at the crease by wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker and they steadied the ship, with Balbirnie twice sweeping Ben Manenti to the boundary before captain Gareth Berg uprooted Tucker’s middle stump with a yorker to reduce his side to 29 for two with five overs gone.

Ireland looked in trouble when Jaspreet Singh bowled Balbirnie for 26 with the score having reached 46 for three, but Harry Tector and Campher belatedly injected impetus with a fourth-wicket partnership of 76 before Tector departed for a 31-ball 41.

Campher followed caught in the deep off 42-year-old Berg, who finished with three for 24, as Italy were set a target of 159.

Their response began in unpromising fashion as openers Ben Manenti and Justin Mosca were dismissed inside the first nine balls, and they slipped to 41 for three at the end of the power play when Marcus Campopiano pulled Josh Little straight to Campher.

Leg spinner Ben White trapped Anthony Mosca in front for 19 three balls later and then bowled Harry Manenti to leave Italy on 94 for five, and Gian-Piero Meade, who had made 26, soon followed without addition to the score.

Berg and Jaspreet accelerated as they tried to drag their side back into it, but Adair, who had earlier sent Ben Manenti back to the pavilion, accounted for Berg and Syed Naqvi to finish with figures of three for 33 as Italy made 151 for nine from their allocation.