Pakistan Vs England: Brook’s century sends England into T20 World Cup semis and hands Pakistan a do-or-die Group 2 task

Here’s the part that matters: the pakistan vs england match in the Super 8s at Pallekele reshuffled Group 2 meaningfully — England secured a semi-final place while Pakistan’s margin for error evaporated. England chased 165 to win by two wickets with five balls to spare, and Pakistan now must beat Sri Lanka and hope other results go their way to have any chance of progressing.

Pakistan Vs England — immediate consequences for Group 2 and the semis

England’s victory guarantees them a spot in the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a game to spare; they will travel to Colombo for Friday’s final Super 8 match against New Zealand. For Pakistan, the pathway is narrower: they must beat co-hosts Sri Lanka in their last Group 2 fixture and then rely on other results to fall their way.

Match snapshot and key figures from Pallekele

At the Pallekele Cricket Stadium in the Super 8s, the scoreboard lines and notable individual contributions recorded in the provided context are:

Bowling lines listed in the context include Liam Dawson 3-24, Jamie Overton 2-26, Jofra Archer 2-32 and Adil Rashid 1-31 for England’s attack; Shaheen Shah Afridi appears with figures listed as 4-30 in one summary and also credited with early breakthroughs. Mohammad Nawaz is recorded with 2-26 and another entry lists Usman Tariq 2-31.

Note on Harry Brook’s figures: the context contains multiple, conflicting score details. One passage describes Brook hitting a maiden T20 international century off 50 balls and falling the next delivery; another shows a century described as 100 off 51 balls and notes it was the highest score by an England captain at a men's T20 World Cup; an entry elsewhere lists Brook with different intermediate numbers. These discrepancies are unclear in the provided context.

How the chase unfolded (select details)

• England lost early wickets and were 17-2 when Brook arrived at the crease.
• Phil Salt was out for a golden duck to Shaheen Shah Afridi; Jos Buttler also fell cheaply, described as continuing a run of single-figure scores.
• Brook counter-attacked: by the end of the powerplay he had 41 of England's 53 runs, and he is credited with driving the chase through a blend of fours and sixes (one description lists 10 fours and four sixes).
• Left-arm spin and Mohammad Nawaz created pressure, but Brook is recorded taking 17 off Nawaz in one passage.

Immediate schedule ripple and remaining fixtures

England are set to head to Colombo for their final Super 8 match against New Zealand on Friday (listed as 1. 30pm UK in the provided context) and are already assured of a semi-final place for a record fifth successive time. The context also notes upcoming coverage of New Zealand vs Sri Lanka the following day, with live-text at 13: 15 GMT and Test Match Special on air at 13: 00.

The real question now is how Pakistan respond under sudden pressure: defeat in their last Group 2 game would end their tournament hopes unless other results shift in their favour.

Player moments, reaction and atmosphere

Beyond the numbers, the provided context highlights a sportsmanship moment: Shaheen Afridi acknowledged Harry Brook’s superb innings. Post-match reaction and analysis are noted as available in the coverage, and a view expressed in the context captures fan frustration — “I despair at the misery amongst some fans” — while also suggesting that being through to the semis should ease pressure on England ahead of New Zealand. One passage mentions that promotion to number three was a tactical call made by 'Baz' (Brendon McCullum) and that Brook was asked about batting at three that morning.

The bigger signal here is that this result compresses Group 2 into a decisive final round: England advance with momentum, Pakistan face a must-win, and the next day’s matches will determine who joins England in the last four.

It’s easy to overlook, but the mix of a tense chase, a captain’s big innings and an early top‑order collapse in one camp has immediate tournament consequences — and a clutch of inconsistencies in reported numbers remains to be clarified.