England vs Pakistan, 45th Match, Super 8 Group 2 (Y1 v Y3), ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary

England have reached their fifth successive semi-final in T20 World Cups, doing so by recording their fifth successive T20I win at Pallekele in the span of 3 weeks. As for Pakistan, they will need to beat Sri Lanka at the same venue on Saturday and hope the other results go their way. One semi-final spot sealed, and three more to go. It’s only going to get tighter and spicier from here. We hope you had great fun following this game. Until tomorrow, when Sri Lanka take on New Zealand in Colombo - cheers and goodbye!

Harry Brook | England captain: (On having secured a semi-final berth) That's very nice. We've come here to do that job and thankfully we've got it under the line. (On whose decision was it to promote him to No. 3 and when was it made?) This morning by Baz as he was the mastermind behind it and it could have not come off, but thankfully tonight it has. We wanted to try and maximise the powerplay a little bit more and everybody knows that I like to try and take the game on and I was going to do that from ball one. So, thankfully it came off and I managed to get us a decent start. (Was it at the back of his mind to promote himself up the order) I'd been thinking about it for a while and it's something I want to do in my career moving forward anyway, not just for England and in franchise cricket. I want to get up there and try and face as many balls as possible. (On whether him having a terrific record against Pakistan influenced that promotion) Yeah, Baz said that this morning. He said, what do you think about going number three? Pakistan's your team and I was just like, let's do it. (On their fielding performance being a bit off today) We struggled a bit in the field. The atmosphere wasn’t quite like it was against Sri Lanka, and that was something we spoke about beforehand. We wanted to keep the intensity high regardless. Unfortunately, we misfielded a few, but the effort was there. (On getting wickets in the powerplay again and how important it has been) Massive. In T20 cricket, getting early wickets is crucial. Jofra Archer has been brilliant - I think he’s taken eight powerplay wickets now. He’s been doing that for years and it really puts the opposition on the back foot. (On having gotten hundreds across all formats) It’s always nice, but the main thing is winning the game. It got a bit nervy at the end there. I was joking with Baz, saying hopefully this isn’t another Oval situation (vs India). Thankfully, we got over the line and made the semis. (On the misfiring top order) That’s something for me, Baz and the selectors to discuss. I don’t think much will change, but you never know. The main focus is going out there with confidence and building momentum.

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. (On England's batting against Tariq) They were smart. They didn’t attack too hard, they just rotated the strike well. Still, 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.

Harry Brook vs PAK in T20Is
Inngs: 10
Runs: 376
Avg: 62.66
SR: 159.32
100s/50s: 1/1

England batters vs Spin in this WC
Inngs: 6
Runs: 590
Balls: 420
Dismissals: 25 — (most by any team)
Avg: 23.6
SR: 140.5
Dot%: 28.4

Most consecutive semifinal appearances in T20 WCs
5 - England (2016-26)*
4 - Pakistan (2007-12)
4 - Sri Lanka (2009-14)

Hundreds in T20 WC chases
116* - Alex Hales vs SL, 2014
100* - Chris Gayle vs ENG, 2016
100* - P Nissanka vs AUS, 2026
100 - Harry Brook vs PAK, 2026*

Highest individual scores for ENG in T20 WCs
116* - Alex Hales vs SL, Chattogram, 2014
101* - Jos Buttler vs SL, Sharjah, 2021
100 - Harry Brook vs PAK, Pallekele, 2026*
99* - Luke Wright vs AFG, Colombo RPS, 2012

Hundreds for England in all three formats
Jos Buttler
Dawid Malan
Harry Brook

England have won all four of their matches against Pakistan in T20 WCs and have also won their last six head-to-head in T20Is.

Harry Brook | Player of the Match: (On securing a semi-final berth) Very happy with the way we played there, and it's just nice to get through to the semi-finals now and we've got one more game against New Zealand and we'll focus on that, but then the bigger prize will be on the other side. (On his promotion to No. 3) It was Baz (Brendon McCullum, England head coach). It was all Baz. He came to me this morning and said, look, we might change it up and put you up at three today. And we've spoken about adapting and changing all sorts throughout this competition and just having the bravery to do that today was awesome. (On seemingly unlocking a new level of his game with the bat) Well, getting better. Number three. I haven't hit much, but it's nice to get out there and face as many balls as possible. (On Pakistan having given them a scare towards the end) They're good. They're always good. They're some of the world-class players in there. They have been for many years. And, like I said, it's just nice to get over the line. (On England looking like a cohesive unit ahead of the semi-finals) There's obviously areas that we still want to improve on and you can never quite get perfection, but we're always striving for it. So, we'll look towards the New Zealand game now and our mind is completely on that. (On getting a World Cup hundred) I was just happy to be able to hit the ball, to be honest. We were in a tricky situation at the start and then a couple of partnerships there was nice and, like I said, just nice to get over the line.

22:31 Local Time, 17:01 GMT, 22:31 IST: That was a chase that swung back and forth before settling into something quite extraordinary. Shaheen Afridi lit up the contest, striking with the very first ball as Phil Salt fell for a golden duck. He went on to make further inroads inside the powerplay, removing Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell to leave England wobbling at 35 for 3. What followed, though, was a masterclass from the England captain. Harry Brook took control after Tom Banton’s departure, batting with a freedom that never tipped into recklessness. Boundaries flowed regularly, but just as crucial was his ability to keep the scoreboard moving through sharp strike rotation in the middle overs. When Will Jacks arrived after Sam Curran’s dismissal, the tone didn’t change. Their sixth-wicket partnership was built on relentless pressure. Crisp running, smart placement and timely acceleration were the highlights of that partnership. In the process, Brook brought up a superb hundred in the 17th over, a landmark that showcased the authority of his innings. Afridi returned into the attack to have the final word, dismissing Brook with the last ball of his spell, but by then the damage was done. It was a special knock under pressure, and a defining one too, as England became the first team of the tournament to secure a place in the semi-finals. Things did get close towards the end, but after that special knock by Brook - England deserved to win tonight. Stay around for the presentations..

Equation: 3 runs needed in 6 balls. All results are possible.. Pakistan win, England win, a Super Over. Anything's possible. An extra fielder has to be brought in due to slow over-rate. Pakistan have been penalised

Mohammad Nawaz to Jamie Overton, THATS OUT!! Stumped!!