England skipper Harry Brook produced a stunning saving 100 off just 51 balls to lead his side to a thrilling two-wicket win over Pakistan in a Super 8 Group 2 match at Pallekele International Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
Promoted to number three for the first time in his T20I career, Brook smashed 10 fours and four sixes, scored 41 of England’s 53 runs in the powerplay and almost single-handedly kept his team in the hunt. His innings also made him the first England captain to score a T20 World Cup century.“Whenever we lose, we feel like he’s the one who makes the difference. But credit to him – he had a great performance today. Hopefully he’ll save some runs in the game against New Zealand.”
Especially in this type of performance, he plays all over the ground – 360 degrees – which makes it very difficult to identify fields and execute plans. They were smart. “They didn’t attack too aggressively, they just rotated the strike well,” said Salman Agha, reflecting on Brook’s dominance.
The Indian cricket team hits the nets in Chennai
The chase began with drama when Shaheen Afridi removed Phil Salt for a golden duck and Jos Buttler bowled the next delivery for just 2. Shaheen also took on Bethell, finishing with three wickets in the Powerplay.
But Brock weathered the storm, punishing spin and speed alike. He fired Mohammad Nawaz for 4, 4 and 6 in one fell swoop and smashed Shadab Khan for a 96-metre straight six, virtually turning the contest on its head.“We started well with the bat, but we couldn’t finish the game the way we wanted. At the end of the day, you have to give credit to the opposition. The way Harry Brooke batted was fantastic – he completely robbed us of the game,” Agha said after the match, highlighting the impact of Brooke’s innings.Brook’s century helped England to 166-8 in 19.1 overs, with Will Jacks adding a crucial 28 runs. Pakistan’s Usman Tariq fought back valiantly with two key wickets, but Brook remained consistent, guiding his side to victory with just five balls to spare to spare England and secure a fifth consecutive Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final berth.“It was a mixed pitch, but I thought we played well up front. Then Harry came in and played a brilliant innings. We threw everything at him, but he was simply too good for us today,” Agha added, summing up England’s performance and Brook’s match-winning display.Pakistan now needs to beat Sri Lanka and hope for positive results.
