Italy captain-cum head coach Gareth Berg became the oldest male captain to record a T20I four-wicket haul during his side’s T20 World Cup 2024 European Region Qualifier match against Denmark on Tuesday.

Berg, 42 years and 188 days old, signed on as Italy’s head coach in January 2021. After bagging a golden duck, Berg recorded career-best figures of four for 14 while opening the bowling. Italy successfully defended a 150-run total by 26 runs to record its second win of the tournament.

Berg’s haul was the 35th instance of a men’s T20I four-wicket haul by a captain and the 19th-best figures by a captain.

The South Africa-born Berg has plied his trade in county cricket in England with Northamptonshire and Middlesex. He made his List A and First-Class debut with Middlesex in 2008 and was recently seen in action in the County Championship Division One with Northamptionshire. Berg has featured in over 150 FC matches, compiling 5000-plus runs and amassing 321 wickets.

The Italian senior men’s coach made his T20I debut for the team in October 2021. He has recorded 16 wickets from 11 innings

Italy is currently placed fourth in the seven-team tournament. The top two teams from the league stage will qualify for the 20-team T20 World Cup, to be held in the USA and West Indies in mid-2024.