T20 WC: Brook's etches name in history with counter-attacking ton; England in semis, Pak crashes out

Pallekele [Sri Lanka], February 24 (ANI): A magnificent counter-attacking century by skipper Harry Brook and brilliant bowling by English spinners helped the Three Lions seal a semifinal berth in the ICC T20 World Cup and eliminate Pakistan from the tournament with a nail-biting two-wicket win at Pallekele on Tuesday.
With this win, England has two wins in two matches in the Super Eight phase, sealing their spot in the semifinal. Pakistan, whose first match was a washout, cannot qualify for the knockouts even if they win their last fixture against Sri Lanka. England have four points, confirming their berth in the semifinals, while Pakistan sit at nil. In chase of 165 runs, it was Brook's no-holds-barred assault that guided England to a victory from a spot of bother at 58/4. Brook is the first-ever captain to hit a century in T20 World Cup history.
In the run-chase of 165 runs, England was off to a horror start as Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Phil Salt for a golden duck on the first ball of the innings. While skipper Harry Brook was busy counter-attacking right from ball one, hitting Salman Mirza for a four and six in the second over, Shaheen removed Jos Buttler (2) and Jacob Bethell (8) for single-digits, reducing England to 35/3 in 4.5 overs.
Brook ended the powerplay in style, smashing Mohammed Nawaz for two fours and a six, taking his side to 53/3 at the end of six overs.
Tom Banton's horrid run continued in the tournament, as he fell to Usman Tariq for just two runs. Pakistan was 58/4 in 7.1 overs.
Brook reached his fifty in 28 balls, with five fours and two sixes and England ended the first half of their innings at 82/4, with Brook and Sam Curran at the crease.
Brook's onslaught against spin continued, looting 17 runs off Shadab Khan's 11th over, with two fours and a six. However, this 45-run stand came to an end with Curran falling to Tariq for 15-ball 16. England was 103/5 in 11.5 overs.
Will Jacks joined Brook at the crease, getting some boundaries against Tariq in the 16th over. In the next over, Brook smacked Shaheen for a six and two fours, bringing up a remarkable century in just 50 balls, with 10 fours and four sixes, but fell at the end of the over, reducing England to 155/6 in the 17th over.
Nawaz got Jacks (28 in 23 balls, with a four and two sixes) and Jamie Overton (0) in the next over, reducing England to 161/8 in 18.5 overs. But it was Jofra Archer who smashed the match-winning four, guiding England to the semifinals.
Shaheen's spell of 4/30 went in vain.
Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan powered Pakistan to a modest score of 164/9 in 20 overs against England in a high-stakes Super 8 clash at Pallekele. On the other hand, England's disciplined bowling, led by Liam Dawson, helped them not let the opposition score big.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and elected to bat first at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. However, the decision proved challenging as England's attack, led by the clinical Liam Dawson and a fiery Jofra Archer, consistently broke partnerships.
England struck early when Jofra Archer dismissed Saim Ayub (7) in the third over, caught by Jacob Bethell. The pressure intensified when Liam Dawson removed the Pakistan captain, Salman Ali Agha (5), leaving Pakistan at 27/2 in 3.3 overs. Despite the early losses, Sahibzada Farhan (63 runs off 45 balls) and Babar Azam (25 runs off 24 balls, with two fours) somewhat stabilised the innings, guiding the team to 46/2 by the end of the Powerplay.
Pakistan reached the 50-run mark in 6.3 overs.
Sahibzada Farhan was the standout performer for Pakistan. He played a patient yet calculated knock, reaching his half-century in 37 balls.
During his innings, Farhan broke a record by hitting his 13th six of the tournament--the most by any Pakistani in a single T20 World Cup edition. Sahibzada Farhan also became the second Pakistani batter to have three or more 50-plus scores in a WC edition after Babar Azam (4) in 2021.
Sahibzada Farhan shared a 46-run stand with Babar Azam before Jamie Overton cleaned up the former captain for 25. Pakistan was 73/3 in 10.5 overs. From there, Sahibzada and Fakhar put on a 49-run stand for the fourth wicket, taking Pakistan past the 100-run mark in 13.3 overs.
Just as Pakistan looked to accelerate, Jamie Overton struck again, trapping the dangerous Sahibzada LBW in the 16th over. From 122/3, Pakistan suffered a significant slide as Fakhar Zaman (25 in 16 balls, with two fours and sixes each) fell to Adil Rashid after a brief cameo. Liam Dawson turned the game on its head in the 18th over, dismissing Usman Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in consecutive deliveries in the 18th over, while Jofra Archer returned to remove Shaheen Afridi for 2.
Shadab Khan provided a late spark with a brisk 23 off 11 balls, including four boundaries, as Pakistan ended with 164/9 in 20 overs.
Liam Dawson's 3/24 in 4 overs was the pick of the efforts by the Three Lions' bowlers. Jofra Archer (2/32 in four overs) and Jamie Overton (2/26 in three overs) were also among the thick of the action with the ball.
Brief Scores: Pakistan: 164/9 (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Fakhar Zaman 25, Liam Dawson 3/24) lost to England: 166/8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100, Will Jacks 28, Shaheen Afridi 4/30). (ANI)