England officially became the first team to secure a place in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals after a breathtaking two-wicket victory over Pakistan at Pallekele on February 24, 2026. The match was an absolute rollercoaster that saw England’s captain, Harry Brook, etch his name into history with a legendary performance that silenced the Pakistani bowling attack.
Chasing a competitive target of 165, England appeared to be in deep trouble early on as Shaheen Afridi tore through the top order, leaving them reeling at 35/3. However, Brook’s sheer 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 fixture into a desperate must-win scenario.
T20 World Cup 2026: Sahibzada Farhan’s resilience and Liam Dawson’s spin stifle Pakistan’s power
Pakistan’s innings was a story of a lone warrior in Sahibzada Farhan, who anchored the side to a competitive 164/9 on a surface that offered significant turn for the English spinners.
After being put in to bat, Pakistan faced an immediate setback as Jofra Archer removed Saim Ayub in the second over, followed quickly by the dismissal of captain Salman Ali Agha, leaving the ‘Men in Green’ stuttering at 42/2 in the Powerplay. Farhan, however, showed remarkable composure, carving out a gritty 63 off 45 balls, utilizing the sweep shot effectively against the nagging length of Liam Dawson. Dawson was the pick of the English bowlers, finishing with brilliant figures of 3/24 as he extracted bounce and turn to remove Usman Khan and Mohammad Nawaz in quick succession.
A mid-innings collapse threatened to derail Pakistan completely, but a late, aggressive cameo from Shadab Khan, who smashed 23 off 11 balls, provided the necessary impetus to push the score past 160. Despite the late-overs flourish, England’s death bowling remained disciplined, with Jamie Overton done perfect bowling to claim two wickets , preventing Pakistan from reaching a truly daunting total. The innings concluded with Pakistan feeling they were perhaps 15 runs short, placing a massive burden on their pace battery to defend the total under the lights.
Harry Brook’s historic ton and Jofra Archer’s nerves seal England’s semi-final spot
The chase for 165 began in near-catastrophic fashion for England as Shaheen Afridi produced a masterclass in swing bowling, removing Phil Salt and Jos Buttler 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 hammered a sensational 100 off just 51 balls, taking a particular liking to the pace of Salman Mirza and the spin of Shadab Khan and Usman Tariq, striking 10 boundaries and 4 massive sixes to maintain a strike rate near 200. His century, the first by a captain in the tournament’s history, seemed to have the game killed off until a frantic late-order collapse saw Pakistan claw back into the contest 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 Archer walked to the crease with only two wickets remaining. Archer showed ice-cold temperament, crashing a length ball from Salman Mirza over mid-off for a boundary to win the game with one ball to spare. The victory sparked jubilant scenes in the England camp, while Pakistan’s players were left devastated on the turf, knowing their semi-final hopes now depend on a complex web of mathematical probabilities.
Here’s how fans reacted:
50-ball-100 to take your team into the semi single handedly, this is what dreams are made of! Well played Harry Brook 👏👏
PS: Ind benching Axar vs SA and Pak dropping Abrar for this game. Really surprising and costly tactical mistakes.#PAKvENG #T20Worldcup— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) February 24, 2026
H Brook at 3 now makes me start to think it’s possible .. #ICCT20WorldCup .. That’s the innings that proves we have a genius in the ranks of the England team ..
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 24, 2026
What an amazing night for Harry Brook!
Single handedly he’s just destroyed Pakistan – Is this The End for Pakistan?#PakvsEng #ICCT20WorldCup2026— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) February 24, 2026
England becomes the first team to qualify for the semi finals. Harry brook’s move to bat at number 3 won the game for them.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 24, 2026
Harry Brook – freak
— 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.
Serious mettle shown too given 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 disdain our tourists (rightly) have for consuming Icelandic fermented shark.
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) February 24, 2026
Freak innings from a freak batter. This was pure class from Harry Brook. Incredible shot making but also such tactical batting. Ultimate show-stealer #T20WorldCup
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) February 24, 2026
Harry Brook, what a genius. Top stuff brother.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) February 24, 2026
LEADER. MATCH-WINNER. STAR. 🌟🔥
Harry Brook scripts a captain’s masterpiece 👑
100 (51) to walk away with the POTM trophy 🏆💥#HarryBrook #Pakistan #england #T20WorldCup #T20WorldCup2026 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/PpuvTrfrpP
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) February 24, 2026
