Harry Brook's Century Leads England to T20 World Cup Semifinals, Eliminating Pakistan

England Secures Semifinal Spot with Thrilling Victory

In a gripping encounter at Pallekele on Tuesday, England's captain Harry Brook delivered a stunning counter-attacking century, complemented by exceptional bowling from the English spinners, leading the team to a two-wicket victory over Pakistan and securing a place in the ICC T20 World Cup semifinals.

This victory marks England's second win in the Super Eight phase, solidifying their semifinal qualification. Conversely, Pakistan, having faced a washout in their opening match, is now unable to advance to the knockout stage, even if they triumph in their final game against Sri Lanka. England has accumulated four points, while Pakistan remains at zero.

Brook's Record-Breaking Performance

Chasing a target of 165 runs, England found themselves in a precarious position at 58/4, but Brook's aggressive batting turned the tide. He made history as the first captain to score a century in T20 World Cup history.

The innings began poorly for England as Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Phil Salt for a golden duck on the very first ball. Despite this setback, Brook launched an aggressive counterattack, hitting Salman Mirza for a four and a six in the second over. However, Afridi struck again, removing Jos Buttler (2) and Jacob Bethell (8), leaving England struggling at 35/3 after just 4.5 overs.

Brook ended the powerplay on a high note, hitting Mohammed Nawaz for two fours and a six, bringing the score to 53/3 after six overs.

Tom Banton's struggles continued as he fell to Usman Tariq for just two runs, leaving England at 58/4 in 7.1 overs.

Brook reached his fifty in just 28 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes, and England concluded the first half of their innings at 82/4, with Brook and Sam Curran at the crease.

Brook's assault on the spin bowlers continued, scoring 17 runs off Shadab Khan's 11th over. However, the partnership ended when Curran was dismissed by Tariq for 16 runs off 15 balls, leaving England at 103/5 in 11.5 overs.

Will Jacks joined Brook, contributing some boundaries against Tariq in the 16th over. In the following over, Brook hit Shaheen for a six and two fours, achieving a remarkable century in just 50 balls, with a total of 10 fours and four sixes, before being dismissed at 155/6 in the 17th over.

Nawaz then took out Jacks (28 runs off 23 balls) and Jamie Overton (0) in the next over, reducing England to 161/8 in 18.5 overs. Ultimately, Jofra Archer hit the winning four, propelling England into the semifinals.

Despite Shaheen's impressive bowling figures of 4/30, Pakistan could not secure the win.

Pakistan's Innings: Sahibzada Farhan's Standout Performance

Earlier in the match, Sahibzada Farhan led Pakistan to a total of 164/9 in 20 overs against England in a crucial Super 8 clash. England's disciplined bowling, spearheaded by Liam Dawson, effectively restricted Pakistan's scoring.

Pakistan's captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, a decision that proved challenging as England's bowlers consistently dismantled partnerships.

England struck early when Jofra Archer dismissed Saim Ayub (7) in the third over, caught by Jacob Bethell. The pressure mounted when Liam Dawson removed Salman Ali Agha (5), leaving Pakistan at 27/2 in 3.3 overs.

Despite the early setbacks, Sahibzada Farhan (63 runs off 45 balls) and Babar Azam (25 runs off 24 balls) managed to stabilize the innings, guiding the team to 46/2 by the end of the Powerplay. Pakistan reached the 50-run mark in 6.3 overs.

Farhan was the standout performer, playing a calculated innings and reaching his half-century in 37 balls. He also set a record by hitting his 13th six of the tournament, the most by any Pakistani in a single T20 World Cup edition. Farhan became the second Pakistani batter to achieve three or more 50-plus scores in a World Cup edition, following Babar Azam's four in 2021.

Farhan shared a 46-run partnership with Babar Azam before Jamie Overton dismissed the former captain for 25 runs. Pakistan was at 73/3 in 10.5 overs.

Sahibzada and Fakhar Zaman then added 49 runs for the fourth wicket, pushing Pakistan past the 100-run mark in 13.3 overs.

As Pakistan aimed to accelerate, Jamie Overton struck again, trapping Sahibzada LBW in the 16th over. Following this, Fakhar Zaman (25 runs off 16 balls) fell to Adil Rashid after a brief cameo.

Liam Dawson turned the match around in the 18th over, taking out Usman Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in consecutive deliveries, while Jofra Archer returned to dismiss Shaheen Afridi for just 2 runs.

Shadab Khan provided a late boost with a quick 23 runs off 11 balls, including four boundaries, as Pakistan finished with 164/9 in 20 overs.

Liam Dawson's bowling figures of 3/24 in 4 overs were the highlight for England, with Jofra Archer (2/32 in 4 overs) and Jamie Overton (2/26 in 3 overs) also contributing significantly.

Match Summary

Pakistan: 164/9 (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Fakhar Zaman 25, Liam Dawson 3/24) lost to England: 166/8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100, Will Jacks 28, Shaheen Afridi 4/30).