Kandy: Two-time champions England registered a hard-fought two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Super Eights match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Pallekale International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The 2009 champions managed just 164/9 in 20 overs as Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha opted to bat first, thanks to a half-century from opener Sahibzada Farhan.
Farhan top scored for the Green Shirts with a blistering 63 off 45 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes. He was supported by Babar Azam and Faqar Zaman, with 25 each, and all-rounder Shatab Khan, who scored 23 off 11 balls in the back-order.
Liam Dawson led England’s bowling with 3 for just 24 from his four overs, while Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer claimed two wickets each.
In turn, the England team chased down the target of 165 runs by captain Harry Brook’s great century for the loss of 8 wickets in the first ball of the last over.
Brook led England’s winning streak with 100 off 51 balls with 10 fours and 4 sixes, while Will Jacks (28) and Sam Curran (16) made significant contributions.
Among Pakistan’s bowlers, Shaheen claimed four wickets for 30 runs in his four overs, while Usman Tariq Nawaz claimed two wickets each.
The win saw England finish second in the Super Eight tournament and help them become the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing 20-team tournament as they topped Group 2 with four points.
Pakistan, on the other hand, finished third behind New Zealand, whose Super Eight opener was washed out by incessant rain in Colombo last week.
| Teams | Competitions | succeeds | Losses | No result | points | Net flow rate |
| England | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.491 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
-0.461 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -2.550 |
The defeat left the 2009 champions dependent on the outcome of their remaining Group 2 matches as they now need to lose their remaining two matches against New Zealand Sri Lanka and England to beat the co-hosts to qualify for the semi-finals.
However, if New Zealand can win one of their remaining two matches, the Green Shirts will need to beat Sri Lanka by a considerable margin to better the Blackcaps’ net run rate and finish second.
For the uninitiated, Pakistan’s remaining Super Eight match against Sri Lanka is scheduled at the same venue on Saturday.