Brook at No. 3 gives England a new blueprint

When asked about England's batting order recently, Harry Brook had been content with his position at No.5. That was before the Super 8 clash against Pakistan in Pallekele.

Come Tuesday, with Phil Salt out for a first-ball duck, it was the England captain himself striding out at No.3, setting in motion one of his finest white-ball innings.

The move was planned. Brook revealed the promotion had been discussed that morning with head coach Brendon McCullum. "It's Baz, Baz is the mastermind there," he said. "He had a discussion with me this morning about going up the order and trying to maximise the Powerplay and thankfully it paid off."

Brook admitted he had been keen to push himself higher up the order across formats. "I'd been thinking about it for a while… I want to get up there and try to face as many balls as possible."

And what better opportunity than against a favourite opponent. "Baz said that this morning. He said, 'what do you think about going number three? Pakistan's your team,' and I was just like, 'let's do it'."

Brook's record against Pakistan across formats is substantial, and in Pallekele he added his first T20I hundred against them.

But the situation England found themselves in demanded far more than favourable history.

Shaheen Afridi blew the chase open from the first ball, removing Salt and then striking twice more inside the Powerplay to leave England reeling at 35 for 3. Jos Buttler's lean tournament continued, Jacob Bethell followed soon after, and Pakistan had both scoreboard and momentum.

Brook's first task was survival, his second restoration, and the third to turn the pressure back on Pakistan.

There was nothing frantic about his approach. He was willing to use his feet against the quicks, prepared to take on the pull, but equally content to drop and run. By the end of the sixth over, England were still three down, but Brook had nudged the equation back towards something manageable.

Pakistan threw another challenge when Tom Banton edged out, bringing Sam Curran to the crease with England at 58 for 4.

The middle overs became a study in controlled aggression. Against spin, Brook was particularly assured. He used the depth of the crease, trusted the sweep, and was quick to convert anything marginal. His fifty came off just 28 balls without the innings feeling rushed.

Curran's dismissal could have reopened the door for Pakistan, with England 103 for 5 in the 12th over. Instead, it pushed Brook into the next phase, with Will Jacks providing support. They ran hard, forced field adjustments, and never allowed the bowlers to settle.

There was clear calculation in Brook's acceleration. England needed 48 from the last six overs. Brook was in the seventies. Pakistan still had Afridi's final over and one for Usman Tariq.

Tariq, with figures of 2 for 17 from his first three overs, came in for the 16th. He went for 14—a six for Jacks and a four for Brook putting England ahead. Afridi returned in the 17th. Jacks found a boundary early, but the moment belonged to Brook, who struck a six and a four to reach his century off 51 balls—marked by a brief look skyward and a standing ovation.

It was the highest individual score by a captain in a T20 World Cup, the joint second-fastest hundred in the tournament's history. More importantly, it had dragged England to the brink. Afridi did bowl Brook with a pinpoint yorker on the last ball of his spell, but the damage was done.

"I think this will be his best innings of his life," Shaheen Afridi said. "He should be credited for playing proper cricketing shots. The wicket was not easy… But look at his knock…"

The finish was tighter than England would have liked—two wickets for Mohammad Nawaz left England needing 3 off the final over. Jofra Archer finished it with a boundary.

On the day, England needed a stabiliser, an accelerator and a closer rolled into one innings. Brook delivered all three, batting at No.3 for the first time in his T20I career.

So how did he feel batting at three? "It's a lot easier facing their main threat bowlers when you're on 30 or 40 rather than starting against them. The longer I bat, the better it is for me."

Will he continue batting at three? "I don't know. That's something for me and Baz to chat about."

Before Tuesday, Brook was happy at five. That seems a long time ago now.