Pallekele: England secured their spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semifinals with a pulsating two-wicket victory over Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. In a game that swung like a pendulum, England captain Harry Brook etched his name into the history books with a magnificent century to chase down a tricky target of 165.
Choosing to bat first, Pakistan’s innings was a tale of missed opportunities. Sahibzada Farhan continued his stellar tournament form, anchoring the side with a gritty 63 off 45 balls. However, he found little sustained support from the other end. Babar Azam struggled for rhythm, managing only 25 from 24 deliveries, while the middle order collapsed under the precision of England’s spinners.
Liam Dawson was the standout with the ball, returning clinical figures of 3/24, while Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton picked up two wickets apiece. A late cameo from Shadab Khan (23 off 11) pushed Pakistan to 164/9, a total that felt 15-20 runs short on a true Pallekele surface.
England’s chase began in disastrous fashion. Shaheen Afridi removed Phil Salt with the very first ball of the innings, and when Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell fell shortly after, the defending champions were reeling at 36/3.
Enter Harry Brook. The captain played a knock for the ages, combining brutal power with surgical placement. He reached his fifty in just 28 balls and refused to relent even as wickets tumbled around him. Pakistan’s mystery spinner, Usman Tariq, briefly threatened to derail the chase, but Brook remained unmoved.
The drama peaked in the final stages. With England needing just 5 runs, Mohammad Nawaz struck twice in the penultimate over, dismissing Will Jacks and Jamie Overton to leave the tail exposed. However, Brook remained the calmest man in Kandy, completing his 100 off 48 balls—the highest individual score by a captain in T20 World Cup history—to guide England home with five balls to spare. With this win, England marches into the semifinals, while Pakistan faces a must-win clash against Sri Lanka to keep their tournament hopes alive.
BRIEF SCORE Pakistan 164/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63; Fakhar Zaman 25; Liam Dawson 3/24) vs England 168/8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100; Will Jacks 28; Shaheen Afridi 4/31).
