{"id":105879,"date":"2026-02-25T02:03:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T02:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=105879"},"modified":"2026-02-25T02:03:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T02:03:07","slug":"brooks-historic-century-powers-england-past-pakistan-seals-semifinal-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=105879","title":{"rendered":"Brook\u2019s Historic Century Powers England Past Pakistan, Seals Semifinal Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kandy (Sri Lanka), Feb 24: In one of the most gripping contests of the tournament, England<\/strong> held their nerve to edge past Pakistan<\/strong> by two wickets in a Super 8 clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026<\/strong> at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium<\/strong> on Tuesday. Skipper Harry Brook<\/strong> produced a captain\u2019s innings for the ages, blasting an unbeaten 100 off just 51 balls to guide his side home with five deliveries to spare and confirm England as the first team to qualify for the semifinals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chasing a competitive target of 165, England found themselves under pressure early. Pakistan\u2019s pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi struck twice in the powerplay, removing Phil Salt for a duck and Jos Buttler cheaply to leave the chase wobbling. Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton also failed to settle, and England were suddenly searching for stability. That assurance arrived in the form of Brook, who combined calm decision-making with fearless strokeplay to seize control of the contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brook\u2019s innings was a blend of authority and timing. He rotated the strike intelligently against spin, punished loose deliveries, and ensured the required rate never drifted beyond reach. His partnerships proved decisive: a fluent stand with Sam Curran steadied the innings, while a brisk alliance with Will Jacks kept England ahead of the asking rate. As wickets fell around him, Brook shifted gears, launching a series of audacious shots to swing momentum firmly in England\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The England captain reached his century with a boundary off Afridi, becoming the first skipper to score a hundred in a men\u2019s T20 World Cup match. His knock, studded with 10 fours and four sixes, placed him in elite company among England batters in the tournament\u2019s history. Though Brook was dismissed immediately after reaching the landmark, the damage had been done. Calm finishing from the lower order ensured England crossed the line in dramatic fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier in the evening, Pakistan had shown intent after winning the toss and opting to bat. Opener Sahibzada Farhan anchored the innings with a well-crafted 63 off 45 balls, striking the ball cleanly through the off side and finding regular boundaries. He shared a steady partnership with Babar Azam, but Pakistan struggled to fully capitalise as England\u2019s bowlers tightened the screws through the middle overs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

England\u2019s spin duo, led by Liam Dawson, played a pivotal role in containing Pakistan. Dawson\u2019s variations and accuracy yielded three key wickets, while the pace of Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer ensured breakthroughs at crucial moments. Fakhar Zaman injected urgency with a quick 25, and Shadab Khan\u2019s late cameo of 23 off 11 balls added valuable runs, but Pakistan\u2019s innings lost momentum due to regular wickets, ending at 164 for nine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a spirited bowling effort led by Afridi, who struck vital blows and threatened to derail the chase, Pakistan were unable to prevent Brook\u2019s onslaught. England\u2019s ability to absorb pressure and strike back at decisive moments proved the difference in a contest that swung repeatedly between the two sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The victory significantly strengthens England\u2019s position in Super 8 Group 2 and underscores their credentials as serious title contenders. Having already defeated Sri Lanka earlier in the Super 8s\u2014and with Pakistan\u2019s fixture against New Zealand washed out\u2014England\u2019s narrow win ensured early passage to the last four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Pakistan, the defeat leaves their semifinal hopes hanging by a thread, with little margin for error in the remaining matches. For England, however, the night belonged to their captain. Brook was deservedly named Player of the Match, his historic century standing as one of the defining moments of the tournament so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 \u2013 Super 8 Match<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Venue:<\/strong> Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Match:<\/strong> Pakistan vs England<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan Innings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

164\/9 in 20 overs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Batting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Sahibzada Farhan \u2013 63 (45 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Babar Azam \u2013 25 (24 balls, 2 fours)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Fakhar Zaman \u2013 25 (16 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Shadab Khan \u2013 23* (11 balls, 2 fours, 1 six)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Saim Ayub \u2013 7<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Salman Ali Agha \u2013 5<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Mohammad Nawaz \u2013 4<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Usman Khan \u2013 6<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Extras \u2013 6<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Fall of Wickets:<\/strong>
    1-14, 2-31, 3-77, 4-123, 5-131, 6-137, 7-149, 8-158, 9-164<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    England Bowling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Liam Dawson \u2013 4 overs, 24 runs, 3 wickets<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Jamie Overton \u2013 4 overs, 26 runs, 2 wickets<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Jofra Archer \u2013 4 overs, 32 runs, 2 wickets<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Adil Rashid \u2013 4 overs, 30 runs, 1 wicket<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Sam Curran \u2013 2 overs, 18 runs, 1 wicket<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n

      England Innings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      165\/8 in 19.1 overs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Batting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Harry Brook \u2013 100 (51 balls, 10 fours, 4 sixes)<\/em>*<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Will Jacks \u2013 28 (20 balls, 3 fours, 1 six)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Sam Curran \u2013 16 (12 balls, 1 four)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Phil Salt \u2013 0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Jos Buttler \u2013 2<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Jacob Bethell \u2013 8<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Tom Banton \u2013 2<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Liam Dawson \u2013 1*<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Jofra Archer \u2013 5*<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Fall of Wickets:<\/strong>
        1-0, 2-5, 3-22, 4-40, 5-92, 6-137, 7-160, 8-160<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Pakistan Bowling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Shaheen Shah Afridi \u2013 4 overs, 30 runs, 4 wickets<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Usman Tariq \u2013 4 overs, 29 runs, 2 wickets<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Shadab Khan \u2013 4 overs, 35 runs, 1 wicket<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Mohammad Nawaz \u2013 3 overs, 28 runs, 1 wicket<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Haris Rauf \u2013 4 overs, 34 runs, 0 wickets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n

          Result<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          England won by 2 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Player of the Match<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          Harry Brook (England)<\/strong> \u2013 100* (51 balls)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Kandy (Sri Lanka), Feb 24: In one of the most gripping contests of the tournament, England held their nerve to edge past Pakistan by two wickets in a Super 8 clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Skipper Harry Brook produced a captain\u2019s innings for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":105880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[88],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-105879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-news","tag-sports"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=105879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105881,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105879\/revisions\/105881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/105880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=105879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=105879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=105879"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=105879"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=105879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}