England opts to bat against Italy in must-win T20 World Cup tie
The Hindu
England chooses to bat against Italy in a crucial T20 World Cup match to secure a spot in the Super Eights.
England captain Harry Brook won the toss and opted to bat against Italy in their must-win Group C encounter in the T20 World Cup here on Monday (February 16, 2026).
A victory in this contest will take England into the Super Eights stage and knock Scotland out of contention.
Italy, who won their last match against Nepal by 10 wickets for a maiden triumph in T20 World Cups, will look to build on the momentum.
Both teams retained their respective playing eleven.
England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
Italy: Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, JJ Smuts, Harry Manenti (c), Ben Manenti, Marcus Campopiano, Grant Stewart, Gian-Piero Meade (wk), Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Ali Hasan.
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