Jofra Archer took two wickets in the first over of Italy’s chase but Ben Menenti smashed 60 from 25 balls and Grant Stewart 45 from 22 to give Italy real hope.
With Stewart at the crease, the tournament’s lowest-ranked side needed 30 runs from the final two overs for an almighty upset.
That England came through is obviously a positive. Sam Curran, who also defended 10 from the last over against Nepal, dismissed Stewart in the penultimate over.
He admitted there have been nerves throughout the initial group stage.
“It’s actually just a tricky stage in a World Cup,” Curran told the BBC.
“You’re nervous, you’ve got all kinds of nerves and expectation.
“I had a little chat with Morgs [former England captain Eoin Morgan] before the toss and said these are the hardest games because we want to get there so badly.
“Now we’ve done it it’s [about] enjoying it. This is our first aim and now we focus on the teams that we know will be in our group.”
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