ENG vs PAK | Brook’s magnificent century takes England into last four and leaves Pakistan on brink

Venkateswaran N

ByVenkateswaran N,SportsCafe Editor

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England beat Pakistan by two wickets in their second T20 World Cup Super-Eight game against Pakistan in Pallekele on Tuesday. Captain Harry Brook led from the front with a 51-ball century during the chase as England became the first side to punch their ticket to the semifinal of the tournament.

England skipper Harry Brook during his blistering century against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super Eight contest in Pallekele

‌Harry Brook’s blistering century powered England into the semifinal of the 2026 T20 World Cup in Pallekele on Tuesday. The pulsating two-wicket win against Pakistan was their second, after their crushing win over Sri Lanka, in the Super Eight stage and made them the first team to reach the last four of the competition.

Chasing 165, England were staring down the barrel at 35/3 inside five overs, with left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi sending back Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell in his first three overs. But despite a wobbling start, skipper Brook, who promoted himself to number three, produced an unbelievable counterpunch as the side had 53 on the board at the end of the powerplay. Even when the fields spread the batter showed no signs of slowing down, first bringing up his half-century in 28 balls before taking on leg spinner Shadab Khan to accelerate the chase with two boundaries and a six in a 17-run over. Though a quiet period of four overs followed with only 25 runs coming off it, the England skipper targeted Usman Tariq in his final over as the equation came down to 27 off the last 24 balls. He then took on Afridi’s pace to hit an unbelievable six over extra cover and backed it up with a boundary over the in-field, to reach the three-figure mark, the first by a captain in the T20 showpiece. He smashed four sixes and 10 fours during his 51-ball 100, while also adding crucial partnerships of 45 and 52 with Sam Curran and Will Jacks, respectively. With 10 needed from 19 balls, England survived a minor scare, losing the well-set pair of Brook, Jacks and Jamie Overton in the next two overs but Jofra Archer calmed the nerves taking England past the target to finish at 166/8 with five balls to spare. Meanwhile, Afridi’s splendid spell of 4/30 was overshadowed by Brook’s belligerence with the bat.

Earlier, Pakistan could manage only 164/9 after opting to bat at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium with Sahibzada Farhan once again leading the way with his third 50-plus score in his fifth innings at the tournament. The opener had seven fours and two sixes in his 45-ball 63 with Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan all throwing away promising starts to be dismissed in the 20s. Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Liam Dawson prevented the Men in Green lower order from flexing their long handle with two wickets in the 18th over, to end with figures of 3/24 in four overs. He was well-supported by Archer and Overton who picked up two wickets each.

Into the semis!

England become first team to reach the last four of T20 World Cup 2026!

Ending in style!

Captain's knock!

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