Harry Brook Century Powers England Past Pakistan into Semi-Finals

Colombo: (Web Desk) – England stormed into the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup after defeating Pakistan by nine wickets in their Super 8 encounter, courtesy of a magnificent century by captain Harry Brook.

The match was played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, where Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first.

Pakistan managed 164 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Sahibzada Farhan once again stood out with a solid innings of 63 runs off 45 balls. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman scored 25 runs each, while Shadab Khan contributed 23. The rest of the batting lineup failed to provide meaningful support.

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For England, Liam Dawson claimed three wickets, while Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer picked up two wickets each.

Chasing the target, England lost early wickets as Phil Salt was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Shaheen Afridi, who also removed Jos Buttler for two. Jacob Bethell scored eight, while Tom Banton was dismissed for two.

However, Harry Brook anchored the chase with a composed and commanding innings, scoring an unbeaten 100 off 51 balls to guide England to victory in the final over. His knock ensured England became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.

Pakistan had made one change to their playing XI, bringing in Shaheen Afridi in place of Faheem Ashraf, while England fielded an unchanged side.

It is worth noting that Pakistan’s opening Super 8 match against New Zealand was abandoned due to rain, with both teams sharing a point. Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in their final Super 8 fixture on February 28.