Jade Dernbach on course for international return with Italy

The ex-England seamer has been selected in the squad for the World T20 Europe Qualifier starting next month in Spain

Former England seamer Jade Dernbach has been included in Italy’s 14-man squad for the World T20 Europe Qualifier, which begins next month in Spain. 

Dernbach, 35, qualifies on account of his Italian mother and will link up with a squad including Kent’s Grant Stewart and Northamptonshire’s Gareth Berg, who will act as player-coach.

Owais Shah, formerly of Middlesex, Essex and Hampshire, has been confirmed as assistant coach.

The fast bowler, who is set to leave Surrey at the end of the season, is reported to have switched national allegiance after talks with Berg. He made four appearances for Derbyshire on loan from Surrey in the 2021 Blast and most recently turned out for Shane Warne’s London Spirit in the Men’s Hundred.

Dernbach made 58 appearances for England across a three-year international career, including 24 one-day internationals and 34 T20Is, before falling out of favour with selectors in 2014.

He will bring 165 T20s and 178 wickets worth of experience to the Italian side, who are currently ranked No.26 in the world in the format.

Italy squad: Gareth Berg, Jade Dernbach, Madupa Fernando, Jamie Grassi, Grant Stewart, Darren Low, Dinidu Marage, Gian-Piero Meade, Joy Perera, Amir Sharif, Baljith Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Nikolai Smith.