Former Australian Test opener and current Italy captain Joe Burns is hoping that his team's stunning win over Scotland at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Regional Final marks the beginning of a special journey.
The victory has brought Italy to the brink of qualifying for the 2026 T20 World Cup, set to take place in India and Sri Lanka.
The Azzurri stayed unbeaten and retained their position at the top of the standings with a thrilling 12-run win over Scotland, a team regarded as one of the strongest in the competition. With one match left — against the Netherlands on Friday — Italy are in a strong position to secure their maiden T20 World Cup berth.
A win in their final game will confirm qualification, but even a close defeat could be enough, provided that neither Jersey nor Scotland secure a big-margin win in their respective clash. Italy's net run rate of 1.722 gives them a considerable edge over Jersey (0.430) and Scotland (-0.150).
Joe Burns, who featured in 23 Tests for Australia before switching to represent Italy, acknowledged the significance of the moment.
"I am really proud of the boys for this moment," Burns said.
"To come and beat Scotland, who are a fantastic team, is a nice reward for sacrifices our players, staff and federation have made.
"Hopefully this is the stepping stone for a lot to come. It's a very emotional group at the moment. Being on the verge of a World Cup? It's very surreal."
Italy will also have the advantage of playing the final match of the tournament — their clash against the Netherlands in Voorburg takes place after Jersey and Scotland complete their fixture. This gives the Italians a clearer picture of the qualification scenario before they take the field, while their rivals will be under pressure to post a big win earlier in the day to improve their net run rate.
Scotland captain Richie Berrington expressed disappointment over his team's performance but remains hopeful of a turnaround in their final game.
"We kept ourselves in it but just didn't manage to execute at the end," he said. "A lot of the credit has to go to Italy, who out-skilled us with the ball in those conditions.
"Obviously today's a tough one, but it's important we learn what we can from this game. We will be looking to come back strong.
"We have to focus on coming back on Friday and looking to win that game then the rest takes of itself."