KANDI: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha credited England’s Harry Brook for his brave century that sent the two-time champions to a two-wicket win and into the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Tuesday.
Sahibzada Farhan’s half-century saw Pakistan post 164/9 in 20 overs.
The Green Shirts’ right-handed opener top-scored 63 off 45 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes, while senior pair Faqar Zaman and Babar Azam scored 25 each and all-rounder Shadab Khan (23) made notable contributions.
Chasing a target of 165 runs in reply, England were chased down by 8 wickets with 5 balls to spare thanks to Captain Brook’s century.
The top-order batsman smashed a 51-ball 100 with 10 fours and 4 sixes on the slow surface of the Ballekele International Cricket Stadium, where other England batsmen scored 62 runs from as many balls against a spin-heavy Pakistan bowling attack.
Brook’s solo performance against Pakistan earned him praise for taking the game away from the 2009 champions.
“Bat started well but didn’t finish the way we wanted. But some days you have to give credit to the other batsmen. I think Harry batted brilliantly. Our score was a bit low. Then Brooke took the game away from us. We threw everything at him,” Agha said in the post-match presentation.
Despite the costly defeat against England, the rich form of their opener Farhan and four wickets from their fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi were key advantages for the former champions, earning praise from their captain Agha.
“I think (Farhan) batted well throughout the World Cup. Other batsmen didn’t play as well as we wanted, but that can happen in World Cups,” Agha continued.
“He (Shaheen) bowled well today. He is famous for early wickets and he did that today,” he added.
The Pakistan captain later referred to Brook’s dominant performance against Pakistan, describing his ability to score all over the ground as a “challenge” for their bowling unit.
“Whenever we lose against England, it’s always him. We have to thank him and the way he batted today. Very challenging, the way he batted. He can play all over the ground, so it will be a challenge,” Agha said.
Agha also noted the cautious approach to their mystery spinner Usman Tariq, who returned an economical 2/31 from his four overs, admitting that a double strike from Mohammad Nawaz in the last over had left them hoping for a miracle turnaround.
“They batted well against Tariq. They didn’t go hard against him. Still, he took two wickets. The way Nawaz bowled the 19th over, I thought you never know. Even if there is a one percent chance, my team will go for it.”