Harry Brook century sends England into semis after Pakistan Vs England Super 8 thriller
Harry Brook’s storming century carried England to a two-wicket Super 8 win over Pakistan in Pallekele and clinched a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals with a match to spare in the pakistan vs england contest.
Pakistan Vs England: Brook’s promotion and century decide tight chase
England reached 166 for 8 in 19. 1 overs chasing 165, with Brook finishing on 100 as Shaheen Shah Afridi took four for 30 for Pakistan, who had posted 164 for 9 in their 20 overs. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored for Pakistan with 63 off 45 balls while Liam Dawson returned figures of 3-24 for England.
How the match unfolded at Pallekele
England’s top order collapsed early: Phil Salt was out first ball, Jos Buttler was dismissed for three in the third over, Jacob Bethell made eight and Tom Banton two as England slid to 58 for 4. Brook had promoted himself to number three after Salt’s dismissal and anchored the chase, hitting 10 fours and four sixes as wickets fell around him.
Pakistan elected to bat and were held to 164-9; England’s bowlers included Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer among the wicket-takers. In the run chase Brook was bowled by Shaheen a ball after reaching his century, leaving 10 runs required from the last three overs before Will Jacks and Jamie Overton fell late and Jofra Archer struck the winning runs with five balls to spare.
Player moments, captaincy and dressing-room talk
Brook’s was the first T20 international century of his career and he said the move up the order had been discussed that morning; Baz had told him he might be moved to No 3. Brook was named player of the match and teammates praised the decision to promote him ahead of the powerplay.
On Pakistan’s side, Salman Agha said his team could have done better but acknowledged Brook took the game away, and praised Shaheen for bowling what they wanted. Will Jacks said he supported the move to promote Brook and that the captain needed to face more balls; Bethell admitted the outfield was bumpy after a fielding moment.
What Pakistan need and the Super 8 permutations
Pakistan must beat co‑hosts Sri Lanka in their final Group 2 game at the same venue on Saturday and hope other results go their way to have any chance of reaching the last four. One outlined route was: if New Zealand beat Sri Lanka, Pakistan would then need England to beat New Zealand and for Pakistan to beat Sri Lanka while achieving a superior net run-rate. An alternative path noted was Sri Lanka beating New Zealand, England winning their game, and Pakistan then needing to defeat Sri Lanka to move on.
Schedule and immediate next steps for England
The victory makes England the first side to secure a semi-final spot from the Super 8s. They travel on to play New Zealand in their final Super 8 match in Colombo on Friday, with the scheduled start time listed at 1. 30pm UK; that match comes before England return to India for a semi-final on either Wednesday or Thursday next week, with opponents and venue to be confirmed by the remainder of the Super 8 stage.
Brook’s evening also carried personal echoes: he has previously been hit by a bouncer in Wellington, was cited as culpable in an Ashes defeat in Australia, pictured drinking in Noosa and described as having lied when apologising in Sydney — unclear in the provided context how those incidents relate directly to tonight’s game but they were referenced alongside praise for his leadership on the field.
England progress with a two-wicket win in Pallekele and now turn their attention to the New Zealand match in Colombo on Friday, then to the semi-final schedule in India later next week.
