LAHORE: Harry Brook continued to remain a scourge for Pakistan when he stroked a maiden T20I century and scripted England’s progression into the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Pallekele on Tuesday.

While England are through from Group 2, Pakistan’s fate is no longer in their own hands. They must now hope Sri Lanka beats New Zealand on 25 Feb and England defeats New Zealand on 27 Feb. Only then, provided Pakistan beats Sri Lanka on 28 Feb, can they progress to the semifinals. If New Zealand wins one of the two matches and Pakistan beats Sri Lanka, the second qualifier from Group 2 will then be decided on net run-rate.

Brook, who famously scored 153 in England’s 506 for four on the first day of the 2022 Rawalpindi Test and a blistering 35-ball 81 in the third T20I in Karachi later that year, struck a hurricane 51-ball 100 today. He masterminded England’s chase of the 165-run target, reaching the mark for the loss of eight wickets with five balls to spare.

Brook launched a counter-attack and smacked 10 fours and four sixes after Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Tariq had left the two-time champions wobbling, sending half the side back to the dressing room with the scorecard reading a dire 103 for five in 11.5 overs.

Shaheen, who finished with impressive figures of 4-0-30-4, dismissed Phil Salt (0), Jos Buttler (2), and Jacob Bethell (8) early on. Usman Tariq added to the pressure by collecting the scalps of Tom Banton (2) and Sam Curran (16) to leave England in significant bother.

Brook, who reached his half-century from 28 ball and century from 50 balls, eventually became Shaheen’s fourth scalp when 11 runs were still required for victory. His exit was followed quickly by the dismissals of Will Jacks (28) and Jamie Overton (0) – both falling to Mohammad Nawaz. However, the foundation was set; Jofra Archer closed the game by striking Salman Mirza for a boundary on the first ball of the final over.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan elected to bat first and posted 164 for nine. The innings stuttered late; after reaching 140 for five in 17 overs, they managed only 25 runs in the final three overs, including a tight 10-run final over from England.

Opener Sahibzada Farhan was the standout, following up his century against Namibia with a 45-ball 63. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman contributed 25 runs each, while Shadab Khan provided a brief spark with an 11-ball 23.

Conversely, the miserable run for Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha continued, as they scored just seven and five respectively. Saim now has 70 runs in six matches, while Salman has scored 60 runs in six matches. Despite their struggles, Sahibzada Farhan remains the tournament’s leading run-getter for Pakistan with 283 runs, followed by Shadab (111) and Babar (91).

England’s bowling effort was led by left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, who took 3-24. Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer provided vital support, sharing four wickets between them while conceding 26 and 32 runs, respectively.

Scores in brief:

Super Eight Stage Group 2 – England beat Pakistan by two wickets, Pallekele

Pakistan: 164-9, 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Babar Azam 25, Fakhar Zaman 25, Shadab Khan 23; Liam Dawson 3-24, Jamie Overton 2-26, Jofra Archer 2-32)

England: 166-8, 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100, Will Jacks 28; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-30, Mohammad Nawaz 2-26, Usman Tariq 2-31)

Player of the match: Harry Brook (England)

Pakistan’s previous match: vs New Zealand, abandoned after toss

Upcoming Group 2 matches:

25 Feb: Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Colombo

27 Feb: England v New Zealand, Colombo

28 Feb: Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Pallekele