Rain meanwhile added an extra factor to proceedings. A tie or no result would have handed Italy the final spot, though DLS calculations came into play once the 20th over was completed. After Nicholas Maiolo bunted a ball back to Rasu for an easy caught and bowled on 23, it was Vanuatu who were in front on DLS. Gian-Piero Meade then fell lbw to Matautaava (1/9) with the score 91/8, the DLS par score at that moment.
Jaspreet walked out with Italy needing 12, and after pressure mounted, the lower order batter took Matautaava on, striking his advancing cover drive through the packed field for four. The shot brought up three figures, with a single two balls later bringing his captain on strike.
Berg saw the next ball as the delivery to seal Italy’s spot, hitting the winning runs over the cover infielder. Sneaking home, Italy’s skipper applauded Vanuatu’s unrelenting press.
“The (Vanuatu) guys bowled fantastically, they applied the pressure on all of us.
“And we certainly felt that pressure even with (their) low score on the board. It’s a funny game.”
“(We were) trying to take it as deep as we can, and just trying to remain as calm as we can. A few of us have played some (high-pressure) cricket in our time.”
