Pakistan Vs England: Harry Brook century guides England into T20 World Cup semi-finals
Pakistan Vs England ended with England chasing 165 to win by two wickets with five balls to spare, a result sealed by captain Harry Brook's maiden T20 international century off 50 balls that put his side into the World Cup semi-finals.
Brook’s century in Pallekele changed the game
Brook’s 50-ball century came at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium in the Super 8s, Group 2 match, and was described as a sublime, match-defining innings that secured victory over Pakistan and advanced England into the semi-finals. He fell on the next delivery after reaching his hundred, but England survived a nervy finish to close out the chase.
Early collapse left England 58-4
The chase was jagged from the start: Phil Salt was out first ball and England were soon 58-4 while chasing 165 to win. Those early wickets made Brook’s role decisive, and his knock turned a teetering chase into a successful run to the target with five balls to spare.
Match scoreboard and Pakistan contributors
Pakistan finished on 164-9 in 20 overs, with Farhan scoring 63 off 45 balls. Dawson finished with figures of 3-24. Pakistan must now hope other results go their way and beat Sri Lanka in their final Group 2 game to affect the standings.
Leadership, baggage and redemption
Brook’s century arrived after a turbulent winter. He had an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington, produced a wasteful Ashes performance and made a foolish attempt to hide the truth before later coming clean. Thousands of England fans travelled to Australia for the Ashes and thousands more set alarms back home; few England captains have toured with such oversized baggage.
The innings was framed as penance and proof. Brook already holds a T20 World Cup winner's medal from 2022 and a Test triple century, but critics had suggested he had not delivered a match-winning knock on the very biggest stage. His highest score against Australia stood at 85 in 10 Tests, and both hundreds he made against India last year came in Tests England lost — the second in the fifth Test at The Oval when his careless dismissal opened the door for India’s fightback to draw the series 2-2. His highest score at the last 50-over World Cup was 66 and in the previous T20 edition was 53. Those doubts were silenced by the century at Pallekele.
On tactics and praise from the captain
Brook credited a batting reshuffle for his opportunity. He said Brendon McCullum was the mastermind behind promoting him to number three, and that McCullum had asked him that morning, "Pakistan is your team, how do you feel about batting at number three" — Brook agreed. He explained the move aimed to maximise the powerplay and that he had planned to take the game on from ball one, which he managed to do to get England a decent start.
Sportsmanship and what’s next
The match also featured a moment of sportsmanship: Shaheen Afridi acknowledged Harry Brook’s superb innings after the game. Coverage of this match drew to a close with the note that play in the Super 8s continues the next day, when New Zealand face co-hosts Sri Lanka; live-text coverage is scheduled to start at 13: 15 GMT with Test Match Special on air at 13: 00.
England will go into the semi-finals on the back of Brook’s 50-ball century and a two-wicket win at Pallekele, while Pakistan must wait and hope for the required result against Sri Lanka in their final Group 2 fixture.
