New Delhi, Feb 24 (NationPress) Captain Harry Brook delivered an extraordinary performance, scoring an impressive 100 runs off 51 balls while batting for the first time at No. 3. This stunning display helped England secure their spot in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup after defeating Pakistan by two wickets in their Group 2 match during the Super 8s at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday.

Brook, elevated in the batting order for the first time in his T20I career, answered with confidence, scoring 41 of England's 53 runs in the Power-play and almost single-handedly keeping the match competitive. In doing so, he became the first captain in T20 World Cup history to achieve a century.

This milestone marked Brook as the inaugural captain to score a century in the T20 World Cup, guiding England to their fifth consecutive semifinal appearance—a record that remains unmatched.

England limited Pakistan to a total of 164/9 over 20 overs, largely thanks to Sahibzada Farhan's 63 runs and Fakhar Zaman’s 25 runs. Liam Dawson shone with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 24 runs, while Jamie Overton contributed with 2 wickets for 26 runs. In response, England capitalized on Brook's century and Will Jacks’ 28 runs to score 166/8 in 19.1 overs and clinch the victory. Shaheen Shah Afridi kept Pakistan's hopes alive with his 4 wickets for 30 runs, and Usman Tariq added 2 wickets for 31 runs, but their efforts fell short.

Here are some key statistics from the Pakistan vs England match:

• 2 - Sahibzada Farhan (63 runs) is now the second player, after Babar Azam, to score three or more fifty-plus runs in a single World Cup edition, with Azam having four in the 2021 edition.
• 10 - The total number of half-centuries hit by Sahibzada Farhan (63 runs) in 45 T20Is, including his second in 6 T20 World Cup matches.
• 13 - Sahibzada Farhan's tally of sixes in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, marking the highest for Pakistan in a single T20 World Cup edition, surpassing Mohammad Rizwan’s previous record of 12 sixes in 2021.
• 62 - Jos Buttler's runs scored in this World Cup, averaging 10.33, his lowest performance in an ICC tournament.
• 6 - Phil Salt's sixth duck in 58 T20Is, being his first against Pakistan in 11 matches.
• 1st - Shaheen Afridi became the first Pakistani bowler to take a wicket on the first ball of a T20 World Cup match.
• 1st - With his century, Harry Brook (100 runs) became the first captain in T20 World Cup history to score a century, previously held by Chris Gayle with 98 runs against India in 2010.
• 100 - Harry Brook recorded his highest score of 100 runs in his 61st T20I match, improving upon his previous best of 81* against Pakistan in Karachi in September 2022.

Compiled by Manoj Kumar