Brook’s Brilliant Century Powers England Into Semifinals After Thriller Against Pakistan

February 25, 2026: The England national cricket team secured a place in the semifinals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup after a tense two-wicket victory against the Pakistan national cricket team.

Captain Harry Brook played a brilliant century under pressure as England successfully chased 165 runs, reaching the target in 19.1 overs at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. England became the first team to confirm a knockout place in the tournament.

England maintained their strong record against Pakistan in T20 World Cup history, as Pakistan remain winless against England in the competition.

Pakistan Set Competitive Total Before Collapse

Batting first, Pakistan posted 164/9 in 20 overs, their highest first-innings score against England in the T20 World Cups. Opener Sahibzada Farhan led the batting with 63 runs off 45 balls.

Pakistan appeared to be heading toward a total of nearly 190 runs but suffered a middle-order collapse after Farhan was dismissed in the 16th over. At that stage, Pakistan were 122/4 and eventually finished at 164/9.

Babar Azam contributed 25 runs, while Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan added 25 and 23 runs respectively to help Pakistan cross the 160-run mark.

England become the first team to punch their ticket for the #T20WorldCup 2026 semi-finals 🎫 pic.twitter.com/XhUNKLui2S

— ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2026

Skipper Harry Brook’s sensational #T20WorldCup ton guides England into the semi-finals with a thrilling win over Pakistan 👏

📝: https://t.co/vwGXfd370g pic.twitter.com/2CwAxjbWnt

— ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2026

England Bowlers Dominate in Final Overs

Liam Dawson delivered an outstanding spell, taking 3 wickets for 24 runs in four overs. Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton claimed two wickets each as England registered their fourth consecutive win in the tournament.

Pakistan’s leading bowler was Shaheen Afridi, who took 4 wickets for 30 runs in four overs. He dismissed Phil Salt for a golden duck and also removed Jos Buttler early. However, Pakistan failed to build on the advantage.

Jacob Bethell was caught in the deep off Afridi’s bowling, while Tom Banton was caught behind off Usman Tariq.

The match went to the final over, where Archer hit the winning runs off the first ball bowled by Salman Mirza.

Future Matches and Qualification Scenarios

England will face the New Zealand national cricket team in their final Super Eight match on Friday, while Pakistan will play the Sri Lanka national cricket team the following day.

Pakistan’s semifinal hopes now depend on multiple results. They need Sri Lanka to defeat New Zealand by a large margin and England to win their next match to weaken New Zealand’s net run rate. Pakistan must also defeat Sri Lanka to stay in contention for a semifinal berth.

Brief Scorecard

Pakistan – 164/9 (20 overs); Sahibzada Farhan – 63 (45), Babar Azam – 25, Liam Dawson – 3/24
England – 165/8 (19.1 overs); Harry Brook – 100, Shaheen Afridi- 4/30