The England vs Italy T20 World Cup 2026 match at the Eden Gardens proved to be a thriller with a high scoreline. Almost 380 points were made in the two innings, yet it was not a batter who made the point of the game, but a bowler.
Italy was after 203 and the equation was difficult though not impossible. It required the last over to deliver 25 runs. Such chases have been done in T20 cricket in the past, particularly on a batting-friendly surface such as Kolkata. But this was nothing extraordinary that followed.
Harry Brook who was at the helm of England gave the final over to Jamie Overton who was a fast bowler. Overton came back with a performance that will be remembered over the years. He also picked wickets in addition to the 20th where he delivered a maiden over with zero runs. Such an over is very uncommon in a format in which bowlers tend to use boundaries in the event of the eventuality of death.
This has been the only time this has been accomplished in the history of T20 World Cup. In 2010, Mohammad Amir took the wicket of Australia, with a final over of 6 balls. But now, many years later, Overton has gone into that exclusive list.
England had already scored 202 after they had batted first in the match. Italy were deeply interested in their pursuit, and reached 178, subjecting England to the pressure. It seemed there could have been a great upset momentarily. But the ultimate over by Overton had a dramatic result to Italy.
Things have not been moving smoothly with the campaign England is having in the tournament. They had an economic match against Nepal earlier in the group round and once again cascaded opposition against Italy. Yet with this win they have some breathing room as far as the Super 8 stage is concerned.
In a game of limits and long shots, one over six perfect deliveries caused the difference.
