Former Northerns Premier XI captain debuts for Italy
He debuted against Ireland on July 20 and played his second match against Denmark on July 25.
The former Benoni Northerns Cricket Club (BNCC) all-rounder Stefano de Bartolomeo made his international debut for Italy in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup European regional finals in Scotland.
The 28-year-old took his bow in Italy’s seven-run loss to Ireland at Goldenacre Sports Ground in Edinburgh on July 20.
With his team bowling first, the right-arm medium-pace bowler had a decent spell with the ball, leaking 17 runs in two overs against the strong Irish line-up that included Curtis Campher and Andrew Balbirnie, who helped their team to 158/8.
Chasing 159 to win, De Bartolomeo came in at number 11 and faced only two balls, scoring two runs as his team fell eight runs short of the target. This is after they posted 151/9.
He grabbed his first international wicket in his second match when he dismissed Denmark’s Saif Ahmad, ending with figures of 1/25 in his spell in Italy’s 28-run victory over the Danes on July 25.
Match-winning figures
De Bartolomeo delivered a man-of-the-match performance when he claimed a historic 5/14 in Italy’s four-wicket victory against Germany in their last match on July 28.
Called in to bowl in the sixth over of the game, he got a breakthrough for Italy with his third ball of the over after dismissing Germany opener Joshua van Heerden. He then dismissed Matthew Montgomery for his second wicket in his third over.
In his last over, the game’s 14th, he got three scalps to seal the game for his team, dismissing Dylan Blignaut with the first ball of the over. After a dot ball, he sent Sahir Naqash and Sachin Mandy back to the shed for his first international five-wicket haul.
He ended with six wickets in three matches in the competition.
The BNCC’s premier XI captain played a starring role with both bat and ball in the Eastern Premier League last season.
He was among the leading wicket-takers in the competition, with one of his terrific spells with the ball being the hat-trick he took against Duduza in Northerns’ 150-run win in March.
After the conclusion of the local cricket season in March, De Bartolomeo joined the Irish side, Cork County Cricket Club as an overseas player, where he played his way into the Italy squad with stunning performances in the Premier Division, Munster competitions and Irish Senior Cup.
The right-handed batsman won his first silverware in Ireland earlier this month when Cork County clinched the Munster T20 Cup after beating County Kerry in the final. He scored 20 runs in the match.
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