England punched their ticket to the semi-finals after beating Pakistan by 2 wickets at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, thanks mostly to a gutsy knock from their skipper, Harry Brook. With this win, England became the first team to reach the World Cup semis this year. Brook’s innings wasn’t just important, it was historic. He notched up the first-ever century by a captain in T20 World Cup history, and it was also his own maiden T20 International hundred.
Chasing 165, England’s start was a mess. Shaheen Afridi ripped through their top order grabbing three wickets in the powerplay and leaving England in serious trouble. But Brook wasn’t rattled. He teamed up with Sam Curran to steady things, building a partnership that got England back on track. Curran chipped in with 16 before getting out and then Will Jacks joined Brook at the crease. Together, they kept the chase alive. Brook raced to his century in just 50 balls, but got out immediately after, but it didn’t matter though. By then, he had already done the heavy lifting for his side.
Earlier, Pakistan set a target of 164 for 9 in their 20 overs. Their start was shaky too, but opener Farhan managed to cobble together some useful partnerships with the middle order. Farhan top-scored with 65, keeping Pakistan in the game. For England, Liam Dawson picked up three wickets and kept things tight.
The match started with Pakistan’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, winning the toss and choosing to bat in this Super 8 clash. Shaheen, back in the team, made an instant impact with the ball. England knew what was at stake. A win here meant they’d be the first side through to the semi-finals and that’s exactly what they pulled off on Tuesday evening.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan: 164/9 (Sahibzada Farhan – 63 runs, Liam Dawson – 3/24)
England: 166/8 (Harry Brooke – 100 runs, Shaheen Afridi – 4/30)
England won by 2 wickets
England Playing XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (captain), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Pakistan Playing XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq
