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England captain Harry Brook produced a sensational rescue act. He smashed 100 off 51 deliveries from his new No 3 position to guide his side into the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
England edged Pakistan by two wickets in a Group 2 Super 8 encounter at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Promoted up the order for the first time in his T20I career, Brook dominated the Power-play. He scored 41 of England’s 53 runs and became the first captain in T20 World Cup history to register a century.
The chase began dramatically as Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Phil Salt for a golden duck with the opening delivery.
Afridi struck again to dismiss Jos Buttler for 2. The wicket extended the latter’s lean run in the tournament. He later accounted for Jacob Bethell to claim three Power-play wickets, equalling Angelo Mathews’ record of eight wickets in the first over across T20 World Cups.
Brook counterattacked fiercely against spin. He took on Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan with a flurry of boundaries and towering sixes. One of them was a 96-metre straight hit.
Even as Usman Tariq’s double strike left England at 58 for 4 and later 103 for 5, Brook held firm. He reached his hundred in 50 balls before falling to a yorker with only 10 runs required.
Earlier, Pakistan posted 164 for 9 after opting to bat. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 63 off 45 balls, while Fakhar Zaman contributed 25. Liam Dawson impressed with 3 for 24, and Jamie Overton claimed two wickets.
Despite late wickets from Mohammad Nawaz, England sealed victory at 166 for 8 in 19.1 overs when Jofra Archer struck the winning runs.
The result, however, secured England’s fifth consecutive men’s T20 World Cup semifinal appearance. Pakistan must now defeat Sri Lanka and rely on other outcomes to stay alive.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan 164/9 (Farhan 63; Dawson 3-24) lost to England 166/8 (Brook 100; Afridi 4-30) by two wickets.
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