KANDY: A scintillating maiden T20I century by England captain Harry Brook guided England to a dramatic two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Super Eights stage of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Monday, sealing their place in the semi-finals.Chasing a modest 165-run target, England endured a nightmare start as in-form opener Phil Salt fell off the very first delivery, edging a sharp inswinger from Shaheen Shah Afridi to wicketkeeper Usman Khan. Afridi struck again in his next over, removing former skipper Jos Buttler, as England slumped to 17-2.Pakistan’s pace spearhead continued to trouble the English batters, later dismissing Jacob Bethell to leave the visitors reeling. However, Brook stood firm under pressure. Taking charge after the powerplay, he counterattacked brilliantly, including a 17-run over against Mohammad Nawaz to shift the momentum.Brook brought up his maiden T20I hundred off just 50 balls, striking 10 fours and four sixes.
He also shared a crucial 52-run partnership with Will Jacks to steady the innings. Although Afridi eventually removed Brook immediately after he reached the milestone, England required only 10 runs from the final three overs.Jacks contributed a brisk 28 before departing, and late wickets added tension to the chase. Ultimately, Jofra Archer struck a boundary off the first ball of the last over to seal victory.Afridi was Pakistan’s standout performer with figures of 4-30, while Usman Tariq and Nawaz claimed two wickets each.Earlier, Pakistan posted 164-9 after opting to bat first but suffering another batting collapse despite a fighting half-century by Sahibzada Farhan.Openers failed to provide a solid start as Saim Ayub fell cheaply, followed by captain Salman Ali Agha. At 27-2, Pakistan were under pressure.
Babar Azam and Farhan attempted to rebuild with a 46-run stand, but England’s disciplined bowling restricted scoring opportunities. Babar was eventually bowled by Jamie Overton after struggling to accelerate.Farhan, however, anchored the innings with a fluent 63 off 43 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes before being trapped lbw by Overton at a crucial stage. His dismissal triggered a middle-order collapse as Fakhar Zaman and others failed to convert starts.A quick 23 off 11 balls by Shadab Khan in the closing overs provided late impetus, helping Pakistan reach a competitive total.For England, spinner Liam Dawson impressed with figures of 3-24, while Overton and Archer claimed two wickets apiece.With this victory, England advanced to the semi-finals, while Pakistan’s campaign suffered a significant setback following another inconsistent batting display.
