In the hunt for a competitive target of 165, England looked to be in deep trouble early on Shaheen Afridi tore through top position, leaving them reeling at 35/3. However, Brook’s brilliance turned the game on its head as he single-handedly dragged his side back from the brink of defeat. For Pakistan, the loss is a crushing blow that leaves their tournament hopes hanging by a thread, turning their final Super 8 match into a desperate must-win scenario.
T20 World Cup 2026: Sahibzada Farhan’s resilience and Liam Dawson’s spin stifle Pakistan’s might
Pakistan’s innings was the story of a lone warrior Sahibzada Farhanwho anchored the side to a competitive 164/9 on a surface that offered a significant turn for the English spinners.
After getting started, Pakistan immediately suffered a setback Jofra Sagittarius DELETED Saim Ayub in the second over, quickly followed by the captain’s dismissal Salman Ali Aghaleaving the ‘Men in Green’ stuttering at 42/2 in the Powerplay. However, Farhan showed remarkable composure, scoring 63 off 45 balls and using the sweep shot effectively against the nagging length of the ball. Liam Dawson. Dawson was the favorite of the English bowlers and finished with brilliant figures of 3/24 as he took out the bounce and turn to remove Usman Khan And Muhammad Nawaz in quick succession.
A mid-innings collapse threatened to derail Pakistan completely, but a late, aggressive cameo materialized Shadab Khanwho hit 23 off 11 balls, provided the necessary impetus to take the score past 160. Despite the flourish of the late overs, England’s death bowling remained disciplined, with Jamie Overton perfect bowling done to claim two wickets, preventing Pakistan from reaching a truly daunting total. The innings ended with Pakistan feeling they were perhaps 15 runs short, putting immense pressure on their pace battery to defend the total under the lights.
READ also: T20 World Cup 2026: Fans troll Babar Azam mercilessly for his flop show with the bat during PAK vs ENG Super 8 game
Harry Brook’s historic tone and Jofra Archer’s nerves seal England’s semi-final place
The chase for 165 began in almost catastrophic fashion for England as Shaheen Afridi produced a masterclass in swing bowling, hitting the Phil Salt And As Butler within the first seven balls of the innings. Then captain Brook stepped out and played what many are calling the greatest T20 World Cup captain’s knock in history.
Brook hit a sensational 100 off just 51 balls, particularly loving the pace Salman Mirza and the twist of Shadab Khan And Usman Tariqhitting 10 boundaries and 4 huge sixes to maintain a strike rate of almost 200. His century, the first by a captain in the tournament’s history, seemed to end the game until a panicky late-order collapse saw Pakistan back into the match with three wickets in four deliveries.
With England needing four runs from the final over and Shaheen having exhausted his quota with figures of 4/30, the tension was palpable as Jofra Sagittarius walked to the crease with only two wickets left. Archer showed an icy temperament and crashed a long ball from Salman Mirza at mid-on for a boundary to win the game with one ball to spare. The victory led to jubilant scenes in the England camp, while Pakistan’s players were left devastated on the field, knowing their semi-final hopes now depend on a complex web of mathematical probabilities.
Here’s how fans reacted:
50-ball-100 to single-handedly take your team to the semi-finals, this is what dreams are made of! Well played Harry Brook 👏👏
PS: Ind benched Axar against SA and Pak dropped Abrar for this game. Truly surprising and costly tactical mistakes.#PAKvENG #T20World Cup— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 24, 2026
H Brook at age 3 now makes me start to think it’s possible.. #ICCT20WorldCup ..Those are the innings that prove that we have a genius in the ranks of the England team..
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 24, 2026
What a great night for Harry Brook!
He single-handedly just destroyed Pakistan. Is this the end for Pakistan?#PakvsEng #ICCT20World Cup 2026— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) February 24, 2026
England become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. Harry Brook’s move to bat at number 3 won the match for them.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 24, 2026
Harry Brook – crazy
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) February 24, 2026
That’s a brilliant hundred from Harry Brook.
100 (51) with his side under the pump to get them into a World Cup semi-final.
There was also some serious courage shown considering the build-up to this tournament.
— Yas Rana (@Yas_Wisden) February 24, 2026
Take a bow, Harry Brook. He has treated the Pakistani attack with the contempt our tourists (rightly) have for consuming Icelandic fermented shark.
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) February 24, 2026
Freak innings from a freak batsman. This was pure class from Harry Brook. Incredible shot, but also such tactical hitting moves. Ultimate show stealer #T20World Cup
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) February 24, 2026
Harry Brook, what a genius. Top stuff brother.
— Stupid point (@FarziCricketer) February 24, 2026
LEADER. CONTEST WINNER. STAR. 🌟🔥
Harry Brook writes a captain’s masterpiece 👑
100 (51) to walk away with the POTM trophy 🏆💥#HarryBrook #Pakistan #England #T20World Cup #T20World Cup 2026 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/PpuvTrfrpP
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) February 24, 2026
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