If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.  Harry Brook, England’s captain, took matters into his own hands in Pallekele, promoting himself to No. 3 and blazing his maiden T20 international hundred to drag his team past Pakistan and into the semi-finals of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026  with a game to spare, almost single-handedly.

Brook started the tournament, his first as captain, with 53 against Nepal but had been dismissed by spin for less than 20 for four innings in a row. His response was to move up two spots from No. 5 in order to bat in the powerplay, and he found himself walking out to face the second ball after Shaheen Shah Afridi  – recalled by Pakistan – struck with the first ball of England’s chase.

Afridi took three wickets in the powerplay to check England’s progress, and Usman Tariq  struck twice in the middle overs to reduce them to 58 for 4 and then 103 for 5. But Brook continued to flay Pakistan’s attack to all parts, reaching a 50-ball hundred by launching Afridi over cover for six and then over mid-off for four.

He was cleaned up one ball later by Afridi’s pinpoint yorker, but walked off to a standing ovation with England needing only 10 to win. They made hard work of it, gifting two wickets to Mohammad Nawaz to take the game into the 20th over, but Jofra Archer smeared Salman Mirza through midwicket as England’s dugout breathed a sigh of relief.

England’s win sealed their qualification for the semi-finals with a match to spare, and they will top the group if they can beat New Zealand in Colombo on Friday. They are yet to put a complete performance together and were shoddy in the field against Pakistan, but have now reached the semi-finals for a fifth men’s T20 World Cup in a row.

Pakistan, meanwhile, must beat Sri Lanka in their final group game and rely on other results falling their way. Despite  Shahibzada Farhan’s impressive 63, they always look short on runs after they were bogged down by spin in the middle overs, with Liam Dawson’s 3 for 24 the outstanding performance among England’s attack.

Brief scores:

England 166 for 8 in 19.1 overs  (Harry Brook 100, Sam Curran 16, Will Jacks 28; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4-30, Mohammad Nawaz 2-26,  Usman Tarique 2-31) beat Pakistan 164 for 9 in 20 overs (Shahibzada Farhan 63, Babar Azam 25, Fakhar Zaman 25,  Shadab Khan 23; Jofra Archer 2-32, Jamie Overton 2-26, Liam  Dawson 3-24, Adil Rashid 1-31) by two wickets

(Cricinfo)

Pakistan  have recalled Shaheen Shah Afridi for their Super Eight fixture against England in Pallekle at the expense of Faheem Ashraf, and will bat first after Salman Agha won the toss on a fresh pitch.

Afridi’s nine overs at the T20 World Cup have cost 101 runs and he has been left out for consecutive matches after Pakistan’s heavy defeat to India in Colombo, including their no-result against New Zealand to start the Super Eight stage. But he has been recalled to face England, perhaps due to their top order’s perceived vulnerability against left-arm seam.

Ashraf rescued Pakistan in their opening group-stage match against the Netherlands, hitting 29 not out off 11 balls to secure a three-wicket win. But he has only bowled two overs in the tournament and has been batting down the order.

“It looks like a good pitch,” Agha said at the toss. “We want to put up an above-par score and defend that total.”

England will qualify for the semi-finals if they win either of their remaining Super Eight fixtures, but Brook said that he would rather get the job done this evening than face a must-win match against New Zealand on Friday. “That would be lovely, wouldn’t it? But you never know in T20 cricket, it’s such a fickle game,” he said.

Brook said that he would have chosen to bat first if he had won the toss, but expects a better surface than the one that England played on at Pallekele two days ago in their low-scoring win over Sri Lanka. “Hopefully, it’s going to be a little bit better,” he said. “We haven’t had our perfect game yet. Hopefully, it’s just around the corner.”

England have picked the same team for the fifth consecutive match at this World Cup, and have carded their batting line-up in the same order despite some calls for Brook to be promoted from No. 5.

The fixture is a rematch of the 2022 T20 World Cup final, which England won by five wickets at the MCG, and there are nine survivors across the two teams.

England:  Phil Salt,  Jos Buttler (wk),  Jacob Bethell,  Tom Banton,  Harry Brook (capt),  Sam Curran,  Will Jacks,  Jamie Overton,  Liam Dawson,  Jofra Archer,  Adil Rashid.

Pakistan:  Sahibzada Farhan,  Saim Ayub,  Salman Agha (capt), Babar Azam,  Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan,  Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz,  Shaheen Shah Afridi,  Salman Mirza,  Usman Tariq.

(Cricinfo)

One day they were kings of the hill, brushing aside mighty Australia with two overs to spare and sending the faithful into raptures. The next, they were brought crashing down to earth, unable to bat out their 20 overs as England handed them a sobering reality check. Cricket, as ever, proved to be the great leveller, lifting you to the heavens on Monday and reminding you of your frailties by Sunday.

The same fans who had burnt the midnight oil celebrating Australia’s exit turned restless when Sri Lanka ate humble pie. The wheel turns quickly in this fickle game. Applause morphs into angst in the space of little time.

Kandy’s supporters, passionate as they are, must tread carefully. Their behaviour in recent years has not always been up to scratch and the last thing the city needs is a clampdown on international cricket. Disappointment is part and parcel of sport. But hurling abuse and worse, objects onto the field, crosses the boundary rope of decency. That is simply not cricket.

There were positives amid the rubble. A depleted bowling attack did a commendable job to restrict England to under 150, no mean feat given modern T20 batting excesses. On another evening, that total might have been hunted down with calculated aggression. Instead, Sri Lanka’s chase never quite got out of second gear.

The over-reliance on Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis is becoming glaring. Once the top order’s twin pillars are dislodged early, the middle order appears to play catch-up cricket, swinging between caution and desperation. It is a dangerous tightrope.

Conditions, too, played their part. After incessant rain in Kandy, the pitch had been under covers for more than 48 hours. Surfaces suffocated that long tend to wear a different face once unveiled, gripping, stopping, turning. The return catches that accounted for Kusal and Kamindu Mendis told their own tale. They weren’t able to get the timing right.

Selection, meanwhile, has raised more than a few eyebrows. The omission of seasoned campaigner Kusal Janith Perera after two outings begs explanation. The recall of Kamil Mishara has left many scratching their heads. And Charith Asalanka, arguably one of Sri Lanka’s more assured players of spin, remains on the sidelines as the team grapples with slow surfaces. At this level, such calls can make or break campaigns.

Questions, too, swirl around leadership. Sliding down the batting order while wickets tumble is rarely the hallmark of strong captaincy. When the ship is taking on water, the skipper must be seen on deck. Leaders shoulder the burden; they do not pass the parcel.

Now Sri Lanka face a classic Hobson’s choice. Win their remaining two games and book a ticket to Calcutta for the semi-finals. Slip up once more, and it will be curtains. In tournament cricket, there is no room for half-measures. It is time to either hold their nerve or pack their bags.

by Rex Clementine