Eng Vs Pak: England through to T20 World Cup semi-finals after Brook century (eng vs pak)

In the eng vs pak Super Eight meeting at Pallekele, England chased 165 to win by two wickets with five balls to spare and secured a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals. The result hinged on Captain Harry Brook's sublime maiden T20 international century off 50 balls, a knock that forced a nervy finish but put England into the last four.

Eng Vs Pak: Brook's maiden T20 international century off 50 balls

Captain Brook produced a defining innings, hitting a maiden T20 international century off 50 balls and earlier making his first T20 international half-century. Brook fell on the next delivery after reaching triple figures, but his effort was widely credited with getting England into the chase. Scorer Andy Zaltzman has noted that Harry Brook is the third England men's player with centuries in all three formats, after Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan; Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight have achieved the same feat in England women's cricket.

Commentary moments captured the mood: commentator Daniel Norcross cheered, "Well done Jofra! Get that man another pillow!" and other on-air lines reflected both relief and praise for Brook's innings.

England chase 165 and survive a nervy finish in Pallekele

England chased 165 to win by two wickets with five balls to spare, clinching the earliest possible passage to the semi-finals. The team went through at the earliest possible opportunity, and match coverage noted that their progression came almost entirely thanks to an "innings from the ages" from Harry Brook — without that, England would not have been in the chase. Observers described the finale as a "nerve shredder" and acknowledged it had not been without tension and drama.

Pakistan 164-9 (20 overs): Farhan 63; Dawson 3-24 — penalties and tight moments

Pakistan finished 164-9 in their 20 overs, with Farhan scoring 63 off 45 balls and Dawson finishing with bowling figures of 3-24. The match featured a penalty against Pakistan for slow overs. Play-by-play action included Archer pulling the first ball of the over to deep mid-wicket for four, and a moment when Nawaz couldn't get to a forward defence by Archer with Dawson between him and the ball and a single taken. There were tense scenes when a right-hander "lost his head and charged the spinner, " a near chip to midwicket and a near run out, leaving "two to come" in a tight passage of play.

Captain comments and a coach nudge from Brendan McCullum

The England captain reflected on the win: "Very happy with the way we played. It is nice to get through to the semifinals, one more game against New Zealand and we will focus on that. " He recalled a pre-match moment with coach Brendan McCullum: "Brendan McCullum (England coach) came to me this morning and said 'we might put you up to three' – it was awesome. " The captain added, "It was nice to get out there and face as many balls as possible. They are a world class side and it was nice to get over the line. There are areas we still want to improve on. You can never get perfection but we keep striving for it. I was just happy we got the job done, it was a tricky situation to start with. "

What this means for Pakistan: Salman’s boys, Sri Lanka and the New Zealand washout

Pakistan now face a clear route back into contention: they must beat Sri Lanka and hope other results go their way. It is not completely over just yet for "Salman’s boys, " though coverage warned the earlier washout against New Zealand could cruelly cost them. The match confirmed the first team to reach the last four at this tournament, but commentators stressed that getting there was hard work in the end.

Fan engagement, lowlights and supplementary notes

Match pages encouraged audience interaction: viewers were invited to "Have your say using 'Get Involved' button on this page. " A running gag in coverage suggested an alternative award for minimal contribution, naming Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton as candidates. Final player-of-the-match style commentary underlined both the quality of Brook's innings and the nervous finish that followed.