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England (166/8) edge past Pakistan (164/9) by 2 wickets, leaving Pakistan on the brink of elimination from T20 World Cup 2026

Harry Brook produced a superb century under pressure to steer England into the semi-finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, sealing a dramatic two-wicket win over Pakistan in Pallekele.

The England captain promoted himself to number three after Phil Salt was dismissed first ball and responded with a composed 100 in a chase of 165. It was the first time Brook had batted at first drop in a T20 international, but he judged the situation expertly, shifting gears as wickets fell around him.

Jos Buttler endured another failure, dismissed for three in the third over, while Jacob Bethell (eight) and Tom Banton (two) departed cheaply as England stumbled to 58-4.

Brook, however, stood firm. Striking 10 fours and four sixes, he once again showcased his immense talent. He was bowled by Shaheen Afridi the ball after reaching his maiden T20I hundred — achieved in just 50 deliveries — but by then only 10 runs were required from the final three overs.

Even so, England nearly squandered the advantage as Will Jacks and Jamie Overton fell late. Ultimately, Jofra Archer finished the job, smashing the winning runs with five balls to spare.

The victory sends England back to India for a semi-final next week, though their opponent and venue will be decided once the remaining Super 8 fixtures conclude. They advance as the first team to confirm a place in the last four, despite not always looking convincing — including a somewhat sloppy fielding effort while restricting Pakistan to 164-9.

Pakistan, meanwhile, must rely on other results and secure victory against Sri Lanka national cricket team at the same venue on Saturday to keep their hopes alive.
 
The time this team was announced consisting of damads and dost yaar/political connections the writing was clear on the wall...when merit is brushed aside this is what you are bound to produce...

How many times have we seen The U19 and Shaheens perform much better than our Senior team but never they are given chances...Sufiyan is an example who was played in bilaterals but as WC came , shadab took his place
 
Those who keep saying Babar is being wasted at 4 are dishonest and bareek wardatiye in favor of Babar while maintaing that he should be either Dropped or allowed to open. absolutely ridicolous. A great player should be able to adapt at any position. A shinning example is Brooks promotion at numb 3. He was also effective at 5
 
Cricket Warrior said:
Salman Agha | Pakistan captain:

"(On looking back at the loss) It started well with the bat, but we couldn’t finish the way we wanted. At the end of the day, sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition. The way Harry Brook batted was outstanding - he completely took the game away from us. (On having to depend on other results) We just have to wait and see how the other results go. We’ll be hoping they go our way, and then we know we’ll have to win against Sri Lanka. (On his thoughts at the halfway stage) It was a mixed surface, but I thought we bowled really well up front. Then Harry came in and played an outstanding innings. We threw everything at him, but he was simply too good for us today. He (Sahibzada Farhan) has batted really well in every single game of this World Cup and has been consistent for us over the last six or seven months. Unfortunately, the other batters haven’t performed the way we wanted. That can happen in World Cup games, but we’re hopeful we can improve in the next match. He (Shaheen Afridi) bowled really well. That’s what we expect from him - to strike up front. That’s what he’s famous for, and he delivered today. It always seems to be him (Harry Brook)! Whenever we lose, it feels like he’s the one making the difference. But credit where it’s due - he batted brilliantly today. Hopefully, he saves some runs for the game against New Zealand. (On whether it's challenging to bowl to Brook) Yes, especially when he’s in that kind of form. He plays all around the ground - 360 degrees - which makes it very challenging to set fields and execute plans. They were smart. They didn’t attack too hard, they just rotated the strike well. Still, Usman Tariq bowled really well and picked up two important wickets whenever we needed breakthroughs. (On them having hope at the end) When Mohammad Nawaz bowled that second-last over, I thought maybe something could happen. Cricket is a funny game - anything is possible. There’s always hope, and as a team, we’ll always keep believing."
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Shameless chewing guy still hoping for favours
Shameless
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
Rest are crap. who is so called king? Name one innings in his career of 144 that compares to brook's today? If Rest are bad , Babar is worst of them. But obviously when Babar reads comments like yours , Sena chorra hota hoga uska
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Rest are crap but all I see is people criticising Babar and Rizwan for every defeat.
Why do you expect only babar to play like brook not others?
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
Very Obvious

He is the most capped and Experienced player among batters. And he is also hailed as one of the greats by many so its natural to expect something special from highly rated player
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I don't think you rate him highly. What makes salman saim and other players immune to your criticism? They are obviously better cricketers
 
Ahmed216 said:
I don't think you rate him highly. What makes salman saim and other players immune to your criticism? They are obviously better cricketers
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Go back and read my Comments

I do not even Consider Saim a proper batter in this format

I do not rate him highly but people like you do which is now cringeworthy because tournament after Tournament its same story with him whether he opens or plays at 4
 
They had one proper spinner in abrar they benched after one poor game while shadab nawaz saim continued to be selected
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
Go back and read my Comments

I do not even Consider Saim a proper batter in this format

I do not rate him highly but people like you do which is now cringeworthy because tournament after Tournament its same story with him whether he opens or plays at 4
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I also do not rate him anymore but your obsession with Rizwan and Babar and willingness to blame them for every defeat has been very clear.
 
zahid01 said:
They had one proper spinner in abrar they benched after one poor game while shadab nawaz saim continued to be selected
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I still don’t understand how Shadab keeps bowling on leg side for both right or left handed batsmen.

Honestly at this point it is a skill. No matter the condition, batsman, match situation, expect a full length ball on leg side.
 
Pakistan basically was Farhan or bust throughout this tournament. If Farhan had not shown up today, this team would have crumbled around 130..
 
Ahmed216 said:
I also do not rate him anymore but your obsession with Rizwan and Babar and willingness to blame them for every defeat has been very clear.
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im not sure why are you Mentioning Rizwan. He is out of team so he cant be blamed for anything. You are out of SYNC

Babar's Innings today had a great impact on our final Score. He Scored 2 back to back boundaries which means rest of his 22 balls only yielded 16. thats criminal in t20 cricket. Sure Saim and Agha messed up but they did nt play too many Balls. Imagine Nawaz coming at 8 had 10 additional balls in remaining , would he have gone for slog sweep first ball? Surely not. Thats what Babar does to team . Leaves too much to recover in name of so called anchoring
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
im not sure why are you Mentioning Rizwan. He is out of team so he cant be blamed for anything. You are out of SYNC

Babar's Innings today had a great impact on our final Score. He Scored 2 back to back boundaries which means rest of his 22 balls only yielded 16. thats criminal in t20 cricket. Sure Saim and Agha messed up but they did nt play too many Balls. Imagine Nawaz coming at 8 had 10 additional balls in remaining , would he have gone for slog sweep first ball? Surely not. Thats what Babar does to team . Leaves too much to recover in name of so called anchoring
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I can't argue with someone who thinks scoring a duck is better than forging a good partnership.
Pak were 120/3 in 15 overs but could only score 164. Any decent side would have scored 15-20 more. But who's responsible? Babar.
We had tailenders batting in final overs but this can only be understood by people who understand the game.
 
Ahmed216 said:
I can't argue with someone who thinks scoring a duck is better than forging a good partnership.
Pak were 120/3 in 15 overs but could only score 164. Any decent side would have scored 15-20 more. But who's responsible? Babar.
We had tailenders batting in final overs but this can only be understood by people who understand the game.
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so why Brooks took Nawaz for 17 in final over of powerplay when 3rd wicket had just fallen? Eng needed patnership too.

This is unbelievable

Someone is allowed to Consume Balls in name of patnership so others can slog their way out for his lack of intent and if remaining fail in playing catch up , then you can say whole line up failed. clapping
 
Ahmed216 said:
I can't argue with someone who thinks scoring a duck is better than forging a good partnership.
Pak were 120/3 in 15 overs but could only score 164. Any decent side would have scored 15-20 more. But who's responsible? Babar.
We had tailenders batting in final overs but this can only be understood by people who understand the game.
Click to expand...
Looks like a patwari thinking...
25 on 24 balls in t20? And you are justifying it? Thats whole damn 4 overs dude?
 
Visaal-E-Yaar said:
Lol. Nothing worse can happen than that. Loosing to zimbabwe, loosing to usa, almost lost against Netherlands.. So you are not presenting any sense at all. Babar whole career is fake and many idiots compared him with kohli, root, smith etc lolx.
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its a simple fact

you are batting first and only lost 2 wickets in powerplay which is normal. You cannot be allowed to consume 4 overs and then not cash it in. Its better to carry on the momentum if you know consuming balls wont make a difference for you , Babar in this case. It does for some players who have ability to power hit. If you have the ability to make up for dot balls , no one will complain . Babar not only consumes balls , He gets out cheaply after
 
Visaal-E-Yaar said:
Lol. Nothing worse can happen than that. Loosing to zimbabwe, loosing to usa, almost lost against Netherlands.. So you are not presenting any sense at all. Babar whole career is fake and many idiots compared him with kohli, root, smith etc lolx.
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And few idiots now want him to play like harry brook. Not realising he's a Pakistani.
 
Ahmed216 said:
So what? He should be dropped isn't it
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He should be Subject to Walk of Shame with people throwing eggs on his face. Getting dropped is nt enough apparently. He had no problem consuming all fake hype and titles . Never dis owned the titles. Infact Hassan Ali Spilled the beans when he Said team calls him bobsy the king. King Krlay ga
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
He should be Subject to Walk of Shame with people throwing eggs on his face. Getting dropped is nt enough apparently. He had no problem consuming all fake hype and titles . Never dis owned the titles. Infact Hassan Ali Spilled the beans when he Said team calls him bobsy the king. King Krlay ga
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Will that help improve pak cricket?
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
Surely it will

People will know to get fame you need to be good at cricket not PR . It will surely benefit young aspiring cricketers
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Ok I am keeping a record of you all. Wait for the day he gets thrown out of the team. I too am waiting.
No propagandist who has brought pak cricket down to this level will be spared.
 
Ahmed216 said:
Ok I am keeping a record of you all. Wait for the day he gets thrown out of the team. I too am waiting.
No propagandist who has brought pak cricket down to this level will be spared.
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Yaar, be logical. Don't get emotional. Explain us what difference will be if babar get dropped permanently from t20?
 
Ahmed216 said:
Ok I am keeping a record of you all. Wait for the day he gets thrown out of the team. I too am waiting.
No propagandist who has brought pak cricket down to this level will be spared.
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Its Time for True Surgery not a fake one promised by Naqvi

First of all that idiot should be sacked before team

Barring Farhan , Abrar , Usman Tariq none of this squad should ever be allowed near T20 setup
 
Wasim Ghulam said:
Its Time for True Surgery not a fake one promised by Naqvi

First of all that idiot should be sacked before team

Barring Farhan , Abrar , Usman Tariq none of this squad should ever be allowed near T20 setup
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Naqvi himself need a surgery lol... They are all fake bro.. Fake govt.. Never heard elsewhere in a world that your interior minister is also your CRICKET board head. Lol
 
IAJ said:
Same old story. Remember we used to say same about Imran Farhat, Malik, Shahid Afridi etc. Eik inch nahi agay badh sakay.
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Agreed. Sorry but that's not our cricket history, thats our country history. Won't be surprised if babar will play next t20 WC alongside with shadab and shaheen.
 
Ahmed216 said:
Rest are crap but all I see is people criticising Babar and Rizwan for every defeat.
Why do you expect only babar to play like brook not others?
Click to expand...

They are criticised because they have been holding reins of Pakistan cricket for more than 5 years now. Would you bash them more or players that are relatively new?
 
G0rmintAunty said:
I got him in the hospitality box for the Namibia game (didn't know who he was, just say him sitting on the grass outside and felt bad for him) at the SSC (where he hardly watched the match but kept on bothering the cameraman to film him), I also got his poor SL camerman (a really good kid), whose parents kept calling him to come home for a get together for a Ramadan Iftaar but he kept saying later, later.

In the NZ game he was mostly in the box because you don't have ground access at the PMD like at the SCC, as it was raining and he had to do Iftar also, buffet was there, he was mostly in but he did venture out anyway and got himself on screen. But today since I was already back, I didn't get him in, although he kept on messaging me on WhatsApp. Good thing I didn't.

Not sure about psycho but he wants to make it big and is always doing these harkatay for some screen time.
Click to expand...

Hes a paindu clout chaser. We have a few like him. Previously people like Ducky bhai, and that “mujay maro” meme guy would go to India Pak matches for clout chasing.
 
G0rmintAunty said:
I got him in the hospitality box for the Namibia game (didn't know who he was, just say him sitting on the grass outside and felt bad for him) at the SSC (where he hardly watched the match but kept on bothering the cameraman to film him), I also got his poor SL camerman (a really good kid), whose parents kept calling him to come home for a get together for a Ramadan Iftaar but he kept saying later, later.

In the NZ game he was mostly in the box because you don't have ground access at the PMD like at the SCC, as it was raining and he had to do Iftar also, buffet was there, he was mostly in but he did venture out anyway and got himself on screen. But today since I was already back, I didn't get him in, although he kept on messaging me on WhatsApp. Good thing I didn't.

Not sure about psycho but he wants to make it big and is always doing these harkatay for some screen time.
Click to expand...

Nice of you bro.
I think he is trying to follow the footsteps of some YouTubers who got viral in the past but you had Maaro mujhe Maaro guy who was genuinely funny till a point. This bloke struggling to get engagement by doing anything impressive.
 
F this team straight to hell, but that part aside, Harry Brook genuinely played one of the ATG T20I knocks I have ever seen. You can't take anything away from an absolute masterclass of T20 batting. Singlehandedly carried his team into the semis.

Just another reminder of what a special player he is, especially to certain jealous clowns who don't understand anything about cricket and continue downplaying his talent all because he chose England over IPL money. :kp

@Bhaag Viru Bhaag
 
G0rmintAunty said:
I got him in the hospitality box for the Namibia game (didn't know who he was, just say him sitting on the grass outside and felt bad for him) at the SSC (where he hardly watched the match but kept on bothering the cameraman to film him), I also got his poor SL camerman (a really good kid), whose parents kept calling him to come home for a get together for a Ramadan Iftaar but he kept saying later, later.

In the NZ game he was mostly in the box because you don't have ground access at the PMD like at the SCC, as it was raining and he had to do Iftar also, buffet was there, he was mostly in but he did venture out anyway and got himself on screen. But today since I was already back, I didn't get him in, although he kept on messaging me on WhatsApp. Good thing I didn't.

Not sure about psycho but he wants to make it big and is always doing these harkatay for some screen time.
Click to expand...

Who are you folks referring to the Saud shirt young guy or the angry English man? Is this guy famous or what?
 
Bhaijaan said:
Nice of you bro.
I think he is trying to follow the footsteps of some YouTubers who got viral in the past but you had Maaro mujhe Maaro guy who was genuinely funny till a point. This bloke struggling to get engagement by doing anything impressive.
Click to expand...

How is he famous, like where?
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
F this team straight to hell, but that part aside, Harry Brook genuinely played one of the ATG T20I knocks I have ever seen. You can't take anything away from an absolute masterclass of T20 batting. Singlehandedly carried his team into the semis.

Just another reminder of what a special player he is, especially to certain jealous clowns who don't understand anything about cricket and continue downplaying his talent all because he chose England over IPL money. :kp

@Bhaag Viru Bhaag
Click to expand...
He single handlely destroyed pakistan....its better than virat MCG knock....virat got lot of luck that day in the end......this brook innings is flawless and finish the match 4 overs earlier......
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
F this team straight to hell, but that part aside, Harry Brook genuinely played one of the ATG T20I knocks I have ever seen. You can't take anything away from an absolute masterclass of T20 batting. Singlehandedly carried his team into the semis.

Just another reminder of what a special player he is, especially to certain jealous clowns who don't understand anything about cricket and continue downplaying his talent all because he chose England over IPL money. :kp

@Bhaag Viru Bhaag
Click to expand...

He's overrated he feasts on flat tracks and mediocre bowling. He'll get exposed v SA or India
 
GLORY OF '92 said:
He's overrated he feasts on flat tracks and mediocre bowling. He'll get exposed v SA or India
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Did you watch the Ashes?

The one match that England won in that series, they won on the back of his counter-punching 41 on a pitch where most batters were even struggling to get to double figures. And he was not out in the second innings too as England negotiated a tricky run-chase.

Every good player feasts on flat decks. It is only Pakistani and Sri Lankan batters who are rubbish enough to not feast on flat decks.

He is a truly special player and will keep proving it time and time again, regardless of what people who underrate his talent may say.
 
England are building momentum. We are still some way short of the best yet.

The likes of Buttler, Salt have yet to hit top form yet. Once they improve, England need not to fear any of the other Big hitters.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Did you watch the Ashes?

The one match that England won in that series, they won on the back of his counter-punching 41 on a pitch where most batters were even struggling to get to double figures. And he was not out in the second innings too as England negotiated a tricky run-chase.

Every good player feasts on flat decks. It is only Pakistani and Sri Lankan batters who are rubbish enough to not feast on flat decks.

He is a truly special player and will keep proving it time and time again, regardless of what people who underrate his talent may say.
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Watch.

I've not been wrong in 20 years let's see.
 
Did'nt see full match as had other things going on. Just saw highlights etc - Eng winning in last over with 5 balls to spare - exciting match which went the distance.
The whole WC has thrown up more close and exciting matches than one sided ones.

My commiserations to genuine Pak cricket loving fans here.
 
Dear PCB,

Would You Like The Answer To The Conundrum? Here It Is:

2019 World Cup XI: Babar, Faheem, Fakhar, Shadab, Shaheen.
2026 World Cup XI: Babar, Faheem, Fakhar, Shadab, Shaheen.

Interim Period: ZERO Titles.

You're Welcome.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Did you watch the Ashes?


He is a truly special player and will keep proving it time and time again, regardless of what people who underrate his talent may say.
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Even Jamie smith got an astonishing century on the flat tracks.but he got mauled in ashes or on pitches with some assistance. Brooks has to score against India in India to prove himself . His avg is 8 /9 in one ipl season. In India, He has not done much even in white ball formats let alone test matches.Atleast, Let him do something good against non pak team in india .He was clueless even against afridi in initial stages.on Few times ,he was lucky on yesterday too.
 
Vikram1989 said:
Even Jamie smith got an astonishing century on the flat tracks.but he got mauled in ashes or on pitches with some assistance. Brooks has to score against India in India to prove himself . His avg is 8 /9 in one ipl season. In India, He has not done much even in white ball formats let alone test matches.Atleast, Let him do something good against non pak team in india .He was clueless even against afridi in initial stages.on Few times ,he was lucky on yesterday too.
Click to expand...
He has plenty of time to get better and prove his credentials in India. Considering the amount of time he has been playing international cricket, he has done very well for himself and his country.
 
I better hope this is the last I have ever seen of that loser Babar representing Pakistan in T20's. What a clownish joke of a player. So many years and tournaments and still not a single MOTM performance in T20 tournaments whether that's in WC or AC. Played another loser of a knock today and looked so scared against Rashid, it was embarrassing.

Pakistan team and management have cost themselves this game and likely the tournament trying to accommodate this loser and now it comes down to praying for other results again. They were 10-15 runs short in the game thanks to Babar momentum sucking innings and that ended up being the difference.

Choker Nawaz needs to go too. He does nothing but perform and choke in new ways possible in WC.
 
Between the two teams England tactically made more errors also on the field made more errors. But all of them covered by one batsman singlehandeldy. Just say fair and move on. Having said that Shadab, nawaz are less closer to be a specialist batsman. Shadab khan has scored a grand total of one 50 in 123 internationals. Md. Nawaz has zero 50s in 97 T20 internationals. This Usman khan 37 matches 31 innings 18.64 average 121.03 strike rate. How can he justify his place? He should be making 50/60. Pakistan picks these players and expect them to punch above their weight. These are occupying pakistan middle order. Apart from Farhan nobody can call themselves batsmen in this set up.
 
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