Pallekele, Sri Lanka – Web Desk: England secured a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals after defeating Pakistan by two wickets in the Super Eight stage match, powered by a brilliant century from captain Harry Brook.
Chasing a target of 165 runs, England reached the total in the final over, losing eight wickets in a tense finish. Brook led the chase with a composed 100-run knock, while Will Jacks scored 28 and Sam Curran added 16. Other contributors included Jacob Bethell (8), Jos Buttler (2), Tom Banton (2), Phil Salt (0), and Jamie Overton (0).
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi took three wickets, while Usman Tariq and Mohammad Nawaz claimed two wickets each.
Earlier, Pakistan opted to bat first after winning the toss and posted 164 for 9 in their allotted overs. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 63 runs, while Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam scored 25 each. Shadab Khan added 23, while Usman Khan (8), Saim Ayub (7), captain Salman Ali Agha (5), Shaheen Afridi (2), and Mohammad Nawaz (0) were dismissed. Salman Mirza remained unbeaten on 2.
England’s Liam Dawson took three wickets, while Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton picked up two wickets each. Adil Rashid claimed one wicket.
The victory confirmed England’s progression to the semi-finals, while Pakistan’s qualification hopes suffered a major setback.
