England secured their spot in the Super 8s at the T20 World Cup with a jittery 24-run victory over debutants Italy as Will Jacks' late-innings runs proved vital yet again.
No 7 batter Jacks (53no off 22 balls) sealed a first T20I fifty with a six in the final over of the England knock as his side posted 202-7, having been reduced to 105-5 in the 13th over at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The Surrey all-rounder had smacked 18 from the last over in the four-run win over Nepal in England's opening match, with the team once again indebted to him after the top five batters - Jos Buttler (3), Phil Salt (28 off 15), Jacob Bethell (23 off 20), Tom Banton (30 off 21) and captain Harry Brook (14 off 9) - gifted their wickets.
Jacks (1-34) then ended a savage fourth-wicket stand for Italy of 92 from 48 balls between Ben Manenti (60 off 25) and Justin Mosca (43 off 34) - Manenti ballooning to long-on - after the Associate nation rallied from 22-3 once Jofra Archer (2-35) had struck twice in the first over and Buttler took a superb catch in the fourth.
Italy - who trounced Nepal by 10 wickets after beginning their campaign with a heavy defeat to Scotland - were dismissed for 178, with wickets for Adil Rashid (1-43), Sam Curran (3-22) and Jamie Overton (3-18) ensuring a shock was avoided.
An Italy win looked achievable with 89 needed from eight overs and then again when a 21-run Rashid over left the ask at 30 off 12 balls, but Curran shipped only five runs from the penultimate over - impressing at the death again after doing so against Nepal - before Overton polished things off in the last with two strikes.
England's third win from four means they are safely, if nervously, through to round two and they will likely face Pakistan and New Zealand as well as across Colombo and Kandy.
Italy and Scotland are unable to progress, with unbeaten West Indies having already claimed the first qualification spot from Group C and to tackle India, South Africa and one other side in the Super 8s, with all their fixtures to be held in India.
England are yet to hit peak form in this tournament, with sketchy moments in the triumphs over Nepal and Scotland and a timid defeat to West Indies in between.
One clear area to work on is players going bigger with the bat after getting in, something they failed to do against Italy.
Salt, Bethell and Banton were all caught playing cross-batted swipes, while Brook snicked former South Africa spinner JJ Smuts' wide delivery behind having cracked the previous two balls for four and six.
Buttler's form is also a concern, with the opener caught slicing to mid-off for three for the second consecutive match and not passing 39 in nine international innings so far this year, comprising the World Cup and pre-tournament tour of Sri Lanka.
Jacks ensured Ben Manenti's 16th over was nailed for 20 as he flogged successive leg-side sixes, while his Surrey team-mate Curran (25 off 19) mowed Crishan Kalugamage for a pair of maximums in the 17th before holing out at cover.
Overton (15 off 9) contributed, too, but Jacks was the leading light and hit a brace of sixes in Grant Stewart's final over, seeing England loot 95 from the final seven overs.
The game looked done inside four overs of the chase with Archer inflicting ducks on Anthony Mosca and Smuts in the first and Buttler's acrobatic grab dismissing Harry Manenti (12) in the fourth, off Overton.
Yet, Justin Mosca and Ben Manenti gave England an almighty scare, while Stewart (45no off 23) swatted three sixes off Rashid in the 18th over to keep Italy believing.
Those efforts ultimately came in vain but the Azzurri can be proud of their display.
England, meanwhile, know they must improve to have a chance of winning the T20 World Cup for a third time, after 2010 and 2022.
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