England defeated Pakistan by two wickets in an exciting Super Eight match of the T20 World Cup and qualified for the semifinals. The match was played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
England captain Harry Brook played a brilliant innings and scored 100 runs from 51 balls. His century helped England chase the target of 165 runs in 19.1 overs. England became the first team to reach the knockout stage of the tournament.
England’s chase started badly when Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed opener Phil Salt on the very first ball of the innings. Afridi struck again soon after and removed former captain Jos Buttler. Pakistan continued to take wickets as Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton were also dismissed quickly, putting England under pressure.
However, Harry Brook stayed calm and built an important 52-run partnership with Will Jacks who scored 28 runs. Brook played attacking shots and kept England in the game during the middle overs.
After completing his century, Brook was dismissed and England lost a few quick wickets near the end. Pakistan tried to make a comeback but Jofra Archer hit a boundary on the first ball of the final over to seal victory for England.
Earlier, Pakistan scored 164 runs for nine wickets in their 20 overs. Opener Sahibzada Farhan was the top scorer with 63 runs off 45 balls. Babar Azam made 25 runs while Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan added 25 and 23 runs respectively.
For England, spinner Liam Dawson took three wickets for 24 runs. Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton picked up two wickets each.
With this win, England now have four points from two matches in the Super Eight stage. Pakistan have only one point and now face a difficult path to reach the semifinals. England will play New Zealand in their next match while Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka and must win to keep their hopes alive.