England have now reached their fifth straight T20 World Cup semi-final.
Key Points
- Harry Brook slammed a match-winning century to power England to the T20 World Cup semi-finals for the fifth successive time.
- Brook is the third England player to hit century in all formats in international cricket.
- Brook registered the highest score by an England captain in the history of the T20 World Cups.
- Sahibzada Farhan top-scored for Pakistan with a quickfire 63 off 45 balls.
Skipper Harry Brook played the most defining innings of his T20 career, smashing a 51-ball 100 to propel England into the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup with a narrow two-wicket victory over Pakistan.
Chasing a target of 165 on a slightly difficult surface, England collapsed to 58/4 before Brook almost single-handedly carried them through with the two-time champions winning it with five balls to spare.
Brook's innings was not only his best individual score in T20Is but also the highest by an England skipper in the history of the T20 World Cups. England have now reached their fifth straight T20 World Cup semi-final and first to qualify in the current edition.
Brook, batting at No. 3 for the first time, showed admirable cricketing smarts during an innings that had 10 fours and four sixes as he picked his battles with precision.
He did not take any undue risks against Usman Tariq (2/31 in 4 overs) and stood tall even as Shaheen Shah Afridi (4/30) wreaked havoc in his opening spell, during which he claimed three wickets.
Brook third England player to hit century in all formats
Brook completed his maiden T20I century with a six and a chipped boundary over mid-off before he was bowled attempting another big hit against Afridi. By then, he had ensured a last four berth for England and received a warm handshake from the Pakistan pacer.
The hallmark of Brook's innings was how he attacked Pakistan's spinners Saim Ayub, Mohammed Nawaz and Shadab Khan. His footwork -- both front and back -- was immaculate and he made full use of the big ground, running 13 twos, expertly pushing the ball to the vacant areas in the deep.
Brook teed off with a 17-run over off left-arm spinner Nawaz which included a six and couple of boundaries. The shot of the match certainly will be the inside out slash that sailed over cover and point. The turn of wrist was deliberate and the shot breathtaking.
While mystery spinner Tariq got Tom Banton, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha suddenly got Shadab back into the attack whom Brook promptly dispatched down the ground.
Tariq came for his second spell and once again got rid of Sam Curran, England were 103 for 5 but Brook found an able ally in Will Jacks (28 off 23 balls) as they added 52 in 5.1 overs.
The match as a contest was over in Tariq's final over when he bowled one bad half tracker which was pulled over square leg fence and got a boundary off the next ball putting the bowler on his haunches.
Once Brook fell, Nawaz got Jacks and Jamie Overton but Jofra Archer pulled the first ball off Salman Mirza's final over for a boundary to take England into the last four stage.
Agha's captaincy left a lot to be desired as a spinner like Saim Ayub would have troubled tail-enders way more.
Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan continued his fine form with yet another half-century to guide Pakistan to a competitive 164 for 9 on a sluggish surface.
Farhan slammed 63 off 45 balls, and his knock was laced with seven fours and two sixes against the English spinners, who were on target for the better part of the Pakistan innings.
Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson was the pick of the England bowlers with 3 for 24 and also he didn't let Pakistan reach the 175-run target with back-to-back breakthroughs in the 18th over.
Dawson first claimed Usman Khan, whose wild slog was gobbled up by Jamie Overton, while Mohammed Nawaz was caught plumb in front off the very next ball. He bowled wicket to wicket, got the deliveries to grip, and had as many as 12 dot balls to his credit.
Overton Dents Pakistan In Middle Overs
The Pakistan innings lost a bit of momentum after Farhan and comeback man Fakhar Zaman (25 off 16 balls) departed in quick succession following a brisk fourth-wicket stand of 49 in 4.5 overs.
Farhan swept well against the slow bowlers and smashed off-spinner Will Jacks deep into the cow corner embankment.
While Zaman, after a few lusty blows, failed to read Adil Rashid's googly as Overton ran backwards to take a well-judged catch.
But Overton's (2/26 in 4 overs) most significant contribution during the innings was a cracking yorker to Farhan, who was late in reacting and the ball hit the base of the middle stump.
Archer's Early Strike Rocks Pakistan
Earlier, Saim Ayub's technique was once again exposed by Jofra Archer (2/32 in 4 overs) as a fast and short ball saw him mistime a pull and was holed out deep behind square.
Skipper Salman Ali Agha's woeful tournament continued as Overton took a smart catch to give Dawson his first breakthrough of the game.
While Farhan had to curb his natural instincts in the first half of the innings, Babar Azam (25 off 24 balls) once again struggled to force the pace, as the duo added just 46 off just 7.2 overs.
Having been stopped on his tracks and not able to get the big hits going, he tried an indiscreet hoick off Overton and was bowled in the process.
© 2026