Pallekele, Feb 24 (IANS) Skipper Harry Brook pulled off a remarkable rescue act with a breathtaking 100 off 51 deliveries batting for the first time at No. 3, as England qualified for the semifinals of the T20 World Cup after beating Pakistan by two wickets in the Group 2 match of the Super 8s at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy on Tuesday.
Promoted up the order for the first time in his T20I career, Brook responded with authority, smashing 41 of England’s 53 Power-play runs and keeping the contest alive almost single-handedly, becoming only the skipper in T20 WC history to score a century.
Drama unfolded with the very first delivery of the chase. Shaheen Shah Afridi, with the new ball, got the desired inswing ending Phil Salt’s stay, who edged inside the line to Usman Khan for a golden duck.
Shaheen struck again with an out-swinging delivery to Jos Buttler, who under-edged it for 2 runs, continuing his poor run of form (26, 21, 3, 3, 7, 2) through this tournament, during which he has not scored a boundary since he left Mumbai.
Jacob Bethell briefly threatened Shaheen but was dropped by Usman Tariq at short fine leg on the 6-run, only to be bowled out by Shaheen, as he took a total of 3 wickets in the Powerplay. Despite limited swing, the hard length and relentless accuracy that Shaheen produced were vital in his success, and he had now taken eight wickets in his first over throughout the T20 World Cup – equalling that of Angelo Mathews.
Brook, however, flourished against spin. He launched Mohammad Nawaz for four, four, and six in a single over and later hammered Shadab Khan for a 96-metre straight six, followed by a boundary over long-on. At one stage, he appeared to be winning the game on his own.
Earlier, choosing to bat first, Pakistan had a terrible start in the powerplay as they lost two early wickets. Saim Ayub, who has been out of form in the tournament yet again, failed to impress with the bat. After being tested with multiple bouncers early, Jofra Archer got rid of him on a run-a-ball seven.
Skipper Salman Ali Agha (5) got out in the third over as Liam Dawson struck in his first over. Despite the setbacks, Pakistan remained in the contest at 46/2, thanks to a fluent start from Sahibzada Farhan, who found the fence four times, while Babar Azam signalled positive intent with two crisp boundaries before the break.
The introduction of spin was key in slowing things down. Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson worked together, getting grip and variation from the pitch. Their disciplined lines and slight changes in pace forced the batters to play cautiously. Pakistan found themselves stalled and needed to accelerate in the second half of the innings.
Fakhar Zaman shifted gears dramatically, using his feet to Will Jacks and launching him straight back over his head for a towering six. Farhan piled on the pressure in the same over, smashing a massive 100-metre hit over midwicket as the 14th over yielded 16 runs. Farhan backed his century in the last match with a gritty and hard-fought fifty in 37 deliveries, but was undone by Overton for a 45-ball 63.
Dawson made an impressive play to dismiss Fakhar Zaman at a key moment. Fakhar misjudged consecutive googlies from Rashid and sent the second one high towards the leg side off a thick top edge. Dawson dashed to his right from short fine leg and executed a fantastic tumbling catch on his back.
Usman Khan took advantage of another England misfield to get off the mark with two runs before confidently slog-sweeping over midwicket for six. Dawson, returning for his second spell, got rid of Usman after being hit for a four off a misfield and then followed it with the wicket of Mohammad Nawaz on the next delivery, ending his spell at 3 for 24.
Usman Tariq’s double strike in the middle overs left England struggling at 58 for 4 and later at 103 for 5. However, Brook would not give up. He tore apart Pakistan’s bowling attack, scoring a remarkable hundred in just 50 balls. He hit Afridi for six over cover and then followed it up with a four through mid-off. Although he was bowled by a precise yorker, he left the field to a standing ovation with only 10 runs needed.
England almost threw away their advantage by losing two wickets to Mohammad Nawaz, dragging the game into the final over. Jofra Archer then powered Salman Mirza through midwicket to secure the win. This victory guaranteed England a spot in the semi-finals with a game left to play, making it their fifth consecutive men’s T20 World Cup semi-final.
Pakistan, despite Sahibzada Farhan’s impressive 63, needed to beat Sri Lanka and hope for favourable results elsewhere.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 164/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 63, Fakhar Zaman 25; Liam Dawson 3-24, Jamie Overton 2-26) lost to England 166/8 in 19.1 overs (Harry Brook 100, Will Jacks 28; Shaheen Afridi 4-30, Usman Tariq 2-31) by two wickets
–IANS
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