Emilio Gay, a current Durham and England Lions hitter, has been selected to represent Italy for a second tournament. The Bedford-born cricketer was chosen as part of a 15-man squad to compete in the European Regional qualifiers for the T20 World Cup in 2026.
Gay, who transferred from Northamptonshire to Durham during the offseason, has already represented Italy in the 50-over World Cup qualification event and is expected to do so again as the country competes for a first-ever spot in the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Gay’s participation for Italy had no bearing on his England career, given the ECB’s qualification standards require players to be British citizens and have not previously played cricket for any ICC Full Member country other than England at the under-17 level or higher.
Italy is not one of the twelve full ICC members, hence Gay’s career in Italy will not jeopardize his chances of being called up to England.
He had previously played for the England Lions’ second string in two four-day games against India ‘A’ in June.
Despite a strong start to his red ball career at Durham, Gay remains on the sidelines in the ongoing white ball T20 Blast competition, with his Durham side lying third in the North Group, trailing Emilio’s former team, the Northamptonshire Steelbacks, and the Leicestershire Foxes.
He has, however, been included to Durham’s 14-man team for their match against Yorkshire tonight (20 June).
Italy is one of five teams in the final qualification tournament, along hosts the Netherlands, an always threatening Scotland, and Channel Islanders Jersey and Guernsey.
“We have a good chance”
In an interview with the Bedford Independent, Emilio discusses the T20 World Cup qualification competition as well as his early years in County Durham, which led to his first England Lions call-up.
“I believe we have a good chance of qualifying with the talent in that team,” says Emilio, ahead of Italy’s opening game on July 5.
“I was in Uganda and witnessed it firsthand during the 50-over tournament; being around players with real good skill sets that can go a long way in the competition.” Having [former Australian test batsman] Joe Burns lead us out is an advantage.
“I’m playing in it to get some competitive T20 cricket in whenever possible. If I can play against teams like Scotland, it will undoubtedly benefit.
“I want to gain more experience in the Twenty20 format. I’ve spent a lot of time working on my white ball game this winter, and I’m excited to gain more short-format experience.”
“I want to break into the England team”
Gay’s selection for this competition after a “really good experience” with the England Lions, in which the Durham hitter scored 46 and 71 while batting at three against a strong touring India ‘A’ team in Kent and Northampton.
“It was a valuable couple of weeks learning from both players and coaches” , comments Emilio.
“We had batting coach [former South African international] Neil McKenzie with us, which was fantastic, and it was nice to be around both seasoned players and new potential.
“I just wanted to learn and dive in. It’s no secret that I’m wanting to break into the England team, but it’s not something I’m consciously thinking about; I’m simply concerned with scoring runs for Durham.”
Italy will open the European qualifying competition against Guernsey on July 5 before facing Jersey the following day, with Gay stating that he may only be available “for a game or two” because to Durham’s vital fixtures.
Tougher tests await the Italians on Wednesday, July 9, when they face Scotland before their last match against the hosts on Friday, July 11. All of their games are set to take place in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Emilio will be back in action for Durham in a few days, as a County Championship match against Sussex begins this weekend at Chester-Le-Street on June 22nd, followed by a trip to The Oval to face Surrey the next week.
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