Brook's one-man show sends England to the semis

Harry Brook put on an extraordinary display in Pallekele by becoming the first captain in T20 World Cup history to smash a century. That one-man show saw England become the first team to book their place in the 2026 T20 World Cup semifinals, which in turn has now jeopardised Pakistan's chances. The returning Shaheen Afridi did his bit with a four-wicket haul for Pakistan whereas England appeared to shoot themselves on the foot right at the death before eventually crossing the line in a chase of 165 with five balls to spare.

On another spin-friendly surface in Pallekele, Pakistan opted to bat first. Sahibzada Farhan, who has carried the Pakistan batting unit in this tournament, had to step up again after Saim Ayub and Salman Agha fell cheaply. Farhan did the bulk of the scoring in the Powerplay. Babar Azam, walking in at No. 4, started positively with back-to-back boundaries but struggled post-Powerplay against England's spinners, particularly Adil Rashid. The pressure eventually told as Babar was castled by Jamie Overton for a 24-ball 25.

Fakhar Zaman provided intent, and with Farhan, set Pakistan up for a big finish. Farhan brought up another fifty in the tournament. At 112/3 after 15 overs, Pakistan looked set for a big total, especially when Farhan smashed a six and four off successive deliveries. However, Overton trapped him lbw. England's bowlers, led by Liam Dawson (3/24), consistently took key wickets to squeeze Pakistan. Shadab Khan's late runs dragged Pakistan to 164/9, a competitive total on the surface.

England's chase began disastrously. Shaheen Afridi struck first ball to dismiss Phil Salt for a golden duck. Jos Buttler's poor run continued as he edged behind. Jacob Bethell fell for 8. Amid the carnage, Harry Brook, promoted to No.3, was spectacular, scoring 41 runs in the Powerplay alone.

Pakistan's trump card, Usman Tariq, kept his side in the hunt by striking in his first over, reducing England to 58/4. But with Brook marauding at the other end, England were always in the contest. The England skipper took apart the Pakistan spin attack. While Tariq dismissed Sam Curran, Will Jacks provided support, clearing the boundary early in his innings.

Jacks and Brook steered England calmly. In a desperate move, Salman Agha brought back Afridi for his final over. Brook came down the track to smash him for a six, followed by a boundary to reach his maiden T20I century. Afridi bowled him next ball with a perfect yorker, but the damage was done; England needed just 10 more runs.

England then lost wickets carelessly, causing a slight flutter heading into the final over where they needed 3 runs with 2 wickets in hand. Jofra Archer sealed the game by pulling the first ball for a boundary.

Brief scores: Pakistan 164/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63; Liam Dawson 3-24, Jamie Overton 2-26) lost to England 166/8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100; Shaheen Afridi 4-30) by 2 wickets.