Kandy: Pakistan lost their match against England in the second Super Eight match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Ballekala International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
A brilliant century from captain Harry Brook led the Three Lions to a two-wicket victory over the Green Shirts to seal their place in the semi-finals and cement their top spot in Group 2 with four points.
Chasing a challenging target of 165, two-time champions Brook’s captain’s performance reached the total with eight wickets and five balls to spare.
Brook went on to top score with 100 off 51 balls, including 10 fours and 4 sixes.
Sam Jacks was soon dismissed by Mohammad Nawaz for 28 when England needed just 5 runs from 12 balls. Navas struck again in the same over, stumping Jamie Overton to add to England’s chase.
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez took to social media platform ‘X’ and expressed his disappointment on social media platform ‘X’, reflecting on Pakistan’s overall performance in the ongoing tournament.
“Tactical errors cost Pakistan not just this match, but the entire match,” Hafeez wrote.
Meanwhile, former Test cricketer Mohammad Yousuf praised England’s performance in the same match, highlighting the impact of Harry Brook’s innings.
“Harry Brook delivers! England take the lead into the semis. What a thriller! Pakistan’s roller coaster continues,” Yusuf said.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan weighed in on Pakistan’s recent struggles, pointing out issues related to handling pressure and the role of media scrutiny surrounding the team.
“This Pakistan team doesn’t handle pressure well. Pakistan struggles have a lot to do with their own troll media. They don’t really support the team, they keep putting them under a lot of pressure. It’s all about ‘achieving’ for them,” Pathan wrote.
Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik stressed that success in the shorter format depends on strong fundamentals, game awareness and discipline rather than mere thought and invention.
“Aiming to play modern-day cricket without getting the fundamentals right is like sitting for class 10 exams without going to nursery class,” Malik wrote.
Former India fast bowler Munaf Patel hailed Harry Brook’s match-winning knock and pointed out areas where Pakistan failed in terms of bowling strength and fielding standards at crucial moments of the game.
“Harry Brook took the match away from Pakistan. Felt the Pakistani fielding was not at full strength. Overall a good match. Congratulations to England for making it to the semis,” Patel wrote.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan shared his thoughts on the conditions of the tournament, suggesting that they could heavily favor the non-subcontinent teams.
“In these conditions 1 non-subcontinent team has the best chance of reaching the semi-finals,” Vaughan wrote.
Pakistan Test cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has launched a scathing criticism of the team’s tactics and performance, expressing disappointment at what he described as a missed opportunity against England.
“England not at their best. A very beatable team. Poor planning, poor shot selection and a confused playing eleven, Pakistan wasted a golden opportunity,” Shehzad wrote.
And he pointed to individual performances and exam results, which in his view were expensive.
“Babar’s 25 off 24 stopped the innings and then a reckless slog to end it. Shatab leaked runs badly in the middle overs when the pressure was needed. Saim Ayub’s continued no-show, Abrar again dismissed and Nafe should have batted for 4,” he added.
comments