Harry Brook’s Heroic Century Powers England to T20 World Cup Semi-Finals

By Sadia Khan :

England captain Harry Brook produced a stunning unbeaten century to single-handedly steer his team to a dramatic two-wicket victory over Pakistan in their Super Eight clash on Tuesday, making England the first nation to secure a semi-final berth in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Brook’s magnificent 100 off just 51 balls at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium rewrote the record books as the first century by a captain in T20 World Cup history. His innings, featuring 10 boundaries and four sixes, rescued England from a precarious position and guided them to their target of 165 with five balls to spare.

Pakistan’s Innings

Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat first, expressing confidence in the surface. The decision yielded a competitive total of 164 for nine, anchored by opener Sahibzada Farhan’s fluent 63 off 45 balls.

Pakistan’s innings suffered early jolts when Saim Ayub fell for seven and Salman Agha departed for just five, leaving the team at 27 for two. Babar Azam combined with Farhan for a 46-run partnership, stabilising the innings with a cautious knock of 25 before being bowled by Jamie Overton.

Fakhar Zaman contributed 25, while Shadab Khan provided late fireworks with a rapid 23 off 11 balls to propel Pakistan past the 160-mark. England’s bowling attack was led by left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, who claimed three wickets for 24 runs, while Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton picked up two wickets each.

England’s Rollercoaster Chase

England’s reply began in nightmare fashion when Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Phil Salt with the very first ball of the innings. The prolific left-arm fast bowler then removed Jos Buttler for two and Jacob Bethell for eight, reducing England to 35 for three inside five overs.

At 58 for four, England’s hopes appeared dim, but Brook had other ideas. The captain promoted himself to number three in the batting order following a suggestion from coach Brendon McCullum, and launched a breathtaking counter-attack. He found able support from Sam Curran, who contributed 16, and later from Will Jacks, who added a vital 28, with their 52-run partnership for the sixth wicket swinging momentum decisively England’s way.

Brook reached his century off just 50 deliveries, combining elegance with raw power to dismantle the Pakistani attack. He reached the milestone by launching Afridi over cover for six and then over mid-off for four. Though he fell late in the chase to Afridi’s pinpoint yorker, Jacks and Jofra Archer held their nerve to see England home in a tense finish.

Afridi finished with exceptional figures of four for 30, while Usman Tariq and Mohammad Nawaz claimed two wickets each.

Post-Match Reactions

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha was generous in his praise for the opposition skipper. “Started well with the bat but couldn’t finish the way we wanted to,” he said at the post-match presentation. “But some days you have to give credit to other batters. I think Harry batted brilliantly. Our score was a bit short. And then Brook took the game away from us. We threw everything at him”.

The Pakistan captain particularly praised Brook’s versatility, noting, “He can play all around the ground so it can get challenging. Have to say hats off to him and the way he batted today”.

Agha also acknowledged Sahibzada Farhan’s consistent performances throughout the tournament and commended Shaheen Afridi’s early breakthroughs.

Brook revealed that the decision to promote himself came from coach Brendon McCullum. “That was all Baz,” he said. “He came to me this morning and said, ‘Look, we might change it up and put you up at No. 3 today'”. The England captain added, “I was just happy to get the job done, to be honest. We were in a tricky situation to start”.

Tournament Implications

With back-to-back victories in the Super Eight stage, England have secured top spot in Group 2 with four points and confirmed their place in the semi-finals for an unprecedented fifth consecutive T20 World Cup.

Pakistan, meanwhile, find themselves in a precarious position with only one point from their first two matches, their opening game against New Zealand having been washed out by rain -3. They must win their final group fixture against Sri Lanka on February 28 and hope other results favour them to keep their semi-final hopes alive .

England will conclude their Super Eight campaign against New Zealand on February 27 in Colombo