By NSB.News Desk
England qualified for the semi-finals after defeating Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, thanks to a sensational captain’s knock from Harry Brook. England became the first team in the ongoing tournament to secure a place in the semi-finals.
Brook’s century was historic — the first-ever hundred by a captain in T20 World Cup history. It was also his maiden T20 International century.
Chasing a target of 165, England had a disastrous start. Shaheen Afridi bowled three overs in the powerplay and picked up three crucial wickets. However, Brook steadied the innings with a key partnership alongside Sam Curran, who scored 16 runs before getting out.
Brook then built another important stand with Will Jacks to push England closer to victory. He completed his century in just 50 balls but was dismissed on the very next delivery. By then, he had already done enough to seal the game for England.
Earlier, Pakistan, after winning the toss and opting to bat first, posted 164/9 in their 20 overs. Opener Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 65 runs, stitching small but valuable partnerships with the middle order to lay the foundation for a competitive total.
For England, Liam Dawson was the standout bowler, claiming three wickets to restrict Pakistan’s scoring.
Playing XIs
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq.