T20 World Cup | Brook’s special knock guides England into the semifinals

Harry Brook fancied a promotion to No. 3 and struck a superb century (100, 51b, 10×4, 4×6) to drag England to a two-wicket win over Pakistan in their T20 World Cup Super Eight match at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (February 24, 2026).

Brook became the first captain to notch up a ton in the history of the tournament, ensuring his team was not left to rue the three wickets it lost in the PowerPlay. England got to the 165-run target with five balls to spare and sealed its place in the semifinals.

Standing tall

Walking in after Phil Salt was caught behind off Shaheen Afridi off the first ball of the innings, Brook added 41 of the 53 runs in the first six overs and was unfazed despite a flurry of wickets.

He picked 17 off Shadab Khan in the 11th over, which included a heave into the sightscreen and two boundaries with a sweep and a slog sweep.

By the time Brook lofted successive deliveries over covers off Afridi’s 16th over to bring up the 50-ball hundred, and perished one delivery later, the result was merely a formality. England survived a few anxious moments to register its second successive win in the Super Eight. Pakistan, on the other hand, has just a solitary point from two games and is staring at elimination.

That Pakistan was in the game at the innings break was again down to Sahibzada Farhan’s single-handed effort. He negotiated the skiddy bounce of Jofra Archer, launching him over point with a slash before riding the bounce inside his crease to pummel through midwicket.

Taking note of the crashing tempo after a 23-ball boundary drought, Farhan and Fakhar Zaman provided timely momentum by taking 27 off Will Jacks’s two overs.

Vital strike

Farhan’s impending change in gears was averted by Jamie Overton, who pinned him in front off a full-length delivery.

Usman Khan and Mohammad Nawaz perished to blind slogging against Liam Dawson, starting a slump that brought Pakistan crashing from 146 for five to 149 for eight.

Shadab’s cameo

Shadab’s 11-ball 23 saw that Pakistan lasted the full 20 overs, but in the end even that was not enough.

The scores: Pakistan 164/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Jofra Archer 2/32, Jamie Overton 2/26, Liam Dawson 3/24) lost to England 166/8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100, Shaheen Afridi 4/30, Mohammad Nawaz 2/26, Usman Tariq 2/31).

Toss: Pakistan; PoM: Brook.