KANDY: Captain Harry Brook smashed an unbeaten century to guide England to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Pakistan in a Super Eights clash at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, sealing his side’s place in the semi-finals.
England chased down a 165-run target on the first ball of the final over, securing their second consecutive win in the Super Eights and becoming the first team to qualify for the last four. The victory lifted them to the top of Group 2 with four points.
Brook Anchors Dramatic Chase
England’s pursuit began shakily as Shaheen Shah Afridi tore through the top order. He removed Phil Salt for a duck, dismissed Jos Buttler for two, and sent back Jacob Bethell for eight within the first five overs, leaving England at 35/3.
Brook held firm despite the early setbacks. He built small but important partnerships, adding 23 runs with Tom Banton and 45 with Sam Curran to stabilise the innings. He then combined with Will Jacks for a crucial 52-run stand for the sixth wicket to wrest control from Pakistan.
Shaheen broke the partnership by dismissing Brook on the final ball of the 17th over, but the England captain had already done the bulk of the damage. He struck 100 off 51 balls, hitting 10 fours and four sixes.
Jacks contributed 28 before Mohammad Nawaz bowled him with England needing five runs off 12 balls. Nawaz struck again in the same over to remove Jamie Overton, briefly raising Pakistan’s hopes.
With three runs required in the final over and two wickets in hand, Jofra Archer smashed a boundary off Salman Mirza on the first delivery to seal the win.
Shaheen led Pakistan’s bowling attack with figures of 4/30 in four overs, while Usman Tariq Nawaz picked up two wickets.
Pakistan Post 164/9
Earlier, Pakistan posted 164/9 after electing to bat first. They stumbled early as Saim Ayub (7) and captain Salman Ali Agha (5) fell inside four overs with just 27 runs on the board.
Babar Azam partnered with Farhan to rebuild the innings through a cautious 46-run stand. Jamie Overton broke the partnership in the 11th over, dismissing Babar for 25 off 24 balls.
Farhan continued to anchor the innings and added 49 runs with Fakhar Zaman for the fourth wicket before Overton dismissed him in the 16th over. Farhan top-scored with 63 off 45 deliveries, striking seven fours and two sixes.
Fakhar followed in the next over after scoring 25 off 16 balls. Liam Dawson then dented Pakistan’s momentum by dismissing Usman Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in successive deliveries, reducing them to 146/7.
Shadab Khan added a quick 23 off 11 balls at the death to push the total past 160.
Dawson starred with the ball for England, claiming 3/24 in four overs. Archer and Overton took two wickets each, while Adil Rashid chipped in with one.
England’s hard-fought victory not only strengthened their title bid but also left Pakistan’s semi-final hopes hanging by a thread in the 20-team tournament.