Aha, here’s Simon Burnton’s match report…
…which means we’re done here. Thanks all for your company and comments; peace out.
Brook, giving a second interview, says he was moved up the order because they wanted to make more of the powerplay and he goes after it. He’d been thinking about it for a while, not just for internationals but franchise cricket too, and when Baz said “Pakistan are your team,” he was up for it.
On the fielding, he laughs that before the match, Bethell said there’s not much atmosphere to focus the mind so told the team to keep switched on, then fumbled a coupe – though he says the outfield was bumpy.
He was a bit worried that, after getting out just past his hundred, England would do another Oval – they lost to India in that circumstance – and, though they need to get the top order firing, he doesn’t think there’ll be much in the way of changes.
Salman Agha says his team could’ve done better but sometimes, you just have to accept that your opponent played well, and Harry Brook took the game away, too good for them today.
Otherwise, he’s happy with how Afridi bowled, doing exactly what they wanted from him, and he hopes England can now do New Zealand for them.
Will Jacks is such a good talker. He explains that it’s taken him a while to settle into the team, and though there’s pressure, what’s not to enjoy about being out there with your captain trying to win the game for England? He was in favour of Brook’s move to three, saying he’s the best player, he needs to face the most balls, then on his bowling says sometimes you go for some, you’ve just got to accept it ands move on.
What do Pakistan need to do to make the last four?
If New Zealand beat Sri Lanka, they need England to beat New Zealand, then beat Sri Lanka and hope that theirs is the superior net run-rate.
Alternatively, Sri Lanka beat New Zealand, so do England, and then Pakistan need to beat Sri Lanka to move on.
Promoting yourself up the order and dominating a match with a round century – what a flex from the captain, asserting leadership and vision definitively, for all to see. Those players, who’ll have loved him already, will be seeing him differently tonight.
Harry Brook is player of the match and very happy with how his team performed. He explains that Baz came to him this morning to tell him they might move him up to no 3 – they’ve talked about mixing things up and this showed they have the bottle to do it.
There are, though still areas in which the team can improve, striving for unattainable perfection, and they’ll now focus on the New Zealand match, before the prize of the last four.
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Pakistan will have regrets – batting first, perhaps, not looking to hit out sooner, and using three of Usman Tariq’s overs once the match was close to over. They can still qualify for the last four, but need favours.
You’ve got to credit England in various ways – coming to Pallekele early, picking Will Jacks, and moving Harry Brook up to no 3 in the order. They’re the first side into the last four and, though they’re far from perfect, there’s so much firepower in the XI that beating them is not easily done – especially given no side is quite as good as the best we’ve seen in this format.
England beat Pakistan by two wickets with five balls to spare and qualify for the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup
The pull goes to the fence for four and that completes a fine performance from England, their best of the tournament so far.
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20th over: England 162-8 (Dawson 1, Archer 1) Target 165 Pakistan are slow to turn around, so must bring an extra man into the circle, Mirza has the final over, and Archer pulls his first delivery…
19th over: England 162-8 (Dawson 1, Archer 1) Target 165 Archer defends, the bowler dives over it, they run one, and England need three runs from six deliveries.
WICKET! Overton st Usman khan b Nawaz 0 (England 161-8)
Goodness me! Nawaz spins one away from Overton, who charges, and England need from from seven, two wickets remaining. Out of serenity, pressure.
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19th over: England 161-7 (Overton 0, Dawson 1) Target 165 Dawson cuts for one, then Overton plays away two dots…
WICKET! Jacks b Nawaz 28 (England 160-7)
They couldn’t, could they? Jacks backs away, misses, and Nawaz hits.
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18th over: England 160-6 (Jacks 28, Overton 0) Target 165 Ten required when Mirza returns, a wide and a two opening the over, then another wide; England are one hit away, and I’d not be surprised to see Jacks try and win it that way. He makes room for the swat, too, but can only hit to cover, two more dots follow, then another, and a dot completes the over. England need five runs from 12 deliveries.
WICKET! Brook b Afridi 100 (England 155-6)
Yorker, slower ball as well I think, cramping Brook, who misses his shove and is bowled. But he’s settled this contest with a real I’M IT contribution.
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Harry Brook completes his century with a six then a four
17th over: England 155-5 (Brook 100, Jacks 25) Target 165 Afridi returns to complete his spell and England tax another two, then Jacks edges into the ground and the ball runs away for four; this is player of the tournament gear we’re seeing from him. A single then gets him down the other end, so Brook dances down, making room to smoke over cover for another six! This has been a near-perfect knock from the England skipper, and next ball, he checks a delicate chip over mid-off that races away for four, raising his century at the same time – off 50 deliveries. Honestly, mates, we come across genius like this extremely rarely; Brook is a complete one-off.
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16th over: England 138-5 (Brook 90, Jacks 18) Target 165 This next over – Tariq’s last – might be the match. if he goes wicketless, it’s hard to see how England don’t win, and they begin by Brook turning to fine leg for one, turned into two when they dash back on an overthrow. A single follows, but there are no chances being taken here Jacks slams a drag-down flat over square-leg for six! As Nasser says, he’s playing far too well to ignore that, keeping low through the shot, and after he takes a further single, an edge for four takes Brook into the 90s. This match is disappearing quickly now, and England need 27 rus from 24 deliveries.
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15th over: England 124-5 (Brook 83, Jacks 11) Target 165 Nawaz returns and Brook takes two to midwicket, then comes down and thinks better of whatever he had planned, banging low to cover. A single follows, then another smartly-sprinted two – England are showing, I think, not just desire to maximise every shot but good local knowledge, having played at Pallekele so much over the last month. A dot comes next, then another two and two ones, meaning seven off the over; for as long as these two stay in, it’s almost impossible for England to lose, but of course they’re only a ball away from dismissal England need 41 runs from 30 balls.
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14th over: England 117-5 (Brook 79, Jacks 8) Target 165 Tariq continues and Brook takes two to midwicket, then the bowler shrieks, thinking he’s sneaked one through, but actually it’s been forced to deep square for a single. Another follows, then Brook drives to cover and they sprint through for two; a further one completes the over and, at drinks, England are handily placed … but another wicket or two, and they’re in all sorts. England need 48 runs from 36 deliveries.
13th over: England 104-5 (Brook 73, Jacks 7) Target 165 Mirza back into the attack and Jacks has a look, playing two dots, then steps to leg and you know what’s coming next: he waves his bat and sends six soaring over extra. He plays that shot so well, and I’m not sure why Salman didn’t stick with spin while the match is still bang in the balance, then worry about the death if and when necessary. A single follows, meaning, with seven off it, it’s not a bad over for Pakistan. England need 55 runs from 42 deliveries.
12th over: England 104-5 (Brook 73, Jacks 1) Target 165 Jacks drives to long-off to get going, and these two need only be sensible to bring England home but, under pressure, that’s a lot easier said than done.
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WICKET! Curran c Nawaz b Tariq 16 (England 103-5)
Silly behaviour from S-Cuzz, who just needed to see Tariq away. Instead, though, he hoiks to midwicket where Nawaz takes a regulation catch falling forwards.
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12th over: England 103-4 (Brook 73, Curran 16) Target 165 Harrance Brook though, what a ludicrous talent – his mix of hands, feet, eye and attitude is an absolute outrage. Now Tariq returns but England can afford milk him and do, taking a two and two ones from hsi first four balls.
11th over: England 99-4 (Brook 72, Curran 13) Target 165 Shadab continues and Curran takes a single, then Brook gets right on top of a sweep, rolling wrists to hammer four through deep square. A single follows, then another, which brings England’s captain back on to strike … and he drives hands through ball, to genius a gargantuan six down the ground, before retreating in the crease to dematerialise a one-bounce four to wide long-on. Seventeen off the over, and Pakistan may regret leaving the majority of Tariq’s overs till so late in the day. England need 66 runs from 54 deliveries.
10th over: England 82-4 (Brook 57, Curran 11) Target 165 Brook takes one from the returning Ayub’s first ball, raising a 28-ball fifty; in comms, Nasser reckons the plan was always for him to move up the order and face as many deliveries as possible; it’s not context-specific. And rightly not – him in the powerplay makes perfect sense. But what’s this? He goes hard at one, it’s in the air, and men converge from midwicket and cow … only for the ball to drop between them as the batters run two. He’ll have swallowed his insides there, but digests them quickly to pull the next ball for four, and two singles complete the over. England need 83 runs from 60 deliveries.
9th over: England 72-4 (Brook 49, Curran 9) Target 165 Shadab continues and his first four balls go for four singles and a wide. A dot follows. and England are getting bogged down a bit here, the problem they have the only one able to hit anything is Brook, but the game-state is such that he daren’t get himself out. So Curran goes at the final delivery of the over, hauling to long-on, where Afridi doesn’t run in seeking to catch, instead allowing the bounce so he can field, only to miss the ball.
“I hope you are correct about Banton’s nickname, says Rob Fowkes-Gajan. “Most England cricketer’s nicknames are crap and only involve adding a ‘y’ to the end. I used to play colts cricket with Matt Windows (later of Gloucestershire and England Lions) whose nickname on the county circuit was ‘Steamy’ - properly creativity, that’s what we need.”
What’s wrong with good, honest, old-fashioned Windowsy, eh? England’s last great side, of course, had Straussy, Cooky, Trotty, Belly, Colly, Swanny and Broady – with Monty on the bench.
8th over: England 63-4 (Brook 47, Curran 3) Target 165 Curran is, for mine, a place too high in the batting order, but England want lots of bowling options so here we are. But he’s off the mark right away, cutting to point, and the next four deliveries also go for one.
“Waft outside off stump, first ball,” begins Chris Harrison. “Cross-batted swipe with no foot movement. Leg-side hoik into the air. Do England really need a separate T20 squad? The Test batters could do that!”
As Janis Joplin said, freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.
WICKET! Banton c Usman Khan b Usman Tariq 2 (England 58-4)
Tariq strikes with the first ball of his spell! He sends down a googly, Banton looks to cut, feathers,, and Khan takes a really good catch. Brook has 45 out of 58 runs, which is to say it looks like him or nothing.
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Key event
Tariq into the attack; Banton is the only England batter to have faced him before…
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7th over: England 58-3 (Brook 45, Banton 2) Target 165 Shadab into the attack and Banton misses with a reverse-sweep, then takes one to long-on, Brook responds with a tap to square-leg, and they dash through for a well-run two. Next ball, he runs down looking to hit out of the continent, the bowlers pulls back his length, and the England captain escapes with an edge just past his stumps for two.
6th over: England 53-3 (Brook 41, Banton 1) Target 165 Nawaz replaces Ayub and, after Banton gets off the mark with a single, Brook turns tow into the on-side, then goes down on one knee to launch over short fine for four. If he stays in, England win; if he goes, they’re in trouble. Meantime, he twinkles down, then crunches over backward point for four more, and there are still two balls to come; the first is checked down the ground, just missing Banton’s swede and the bowler’s hands and the second … is astonished over long-on for six. Seventeen off the over, and England’s captain has decided that it’s time for him to be the hero. But can he avoid the hubris?
5th over: England 36-3 (Brook 20, Banton 0) Target 165 Afridi pins Banton, whose dressing-room nickname is, I hope and pray, Pato, on the pad, but the ball pitched outside the line so the appeal is muted and, when rejected, unreivewed.
WICKET! Bethell c Farhan v Shaheen 8 (England 35-3)
Regular wickets are the key for Pakistan and this is another, Bethell freeing arms but not hitting hard enough, Farhan taking a decent catch running around the fence at deep square.
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5th over: England 35-2 (Brook 25, Bethell 8) Target 165 A single to Bethell, then Brook gives himself just a littlebittaroom to assault Afridi through cover for four. He then adds a further single, before Bethell again picks out a fielder with a nicely hit drive…
4th over: England 29-2 (Brook 20, Bethell 7) Target 165 Time for spin with Saim Ayub into the attack and, after a single to each batter, Bethell goes back to wait fir him, hauling from middle-and-off through midwicket for four. in a way, he’s the new Joe Root – l’havdil elef havdalot – accumulating quickly with Proper Cricket Shots. Of course, as I type, he top-edges a slog-sweep, and this is going to be … dropped?! Oh my days, that was an absolute gimme, but at short fine leg, Tariq panics, fumbles and drops. Eeeeesh. They run one then, to rub it in, Brook makes sure to devastate a straight drive for four to make it 11 off the over.
3rd over: England 17-2 (Brook 14, Bethell 0) Target 165 Bethell drives to the man at mid-off, a handsome shot that earns nothing. then does likewise to cover. A whip off the hip though, gets him off the mark with one, and I’m not sure Pakistan will be benching Afridi again any time soon.
WICKET! Buttler c Usman Khan 2 (England 17-2)
Buttler’s misery continues. This time, he takes a cross-batted swipe, tickling an under-edge behind, and these early wickets are exactly what Pakistan need to defend a below-par total. Shaheen is buzzing…
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3rd over: England 17-1 (Buttler 2, Brook 15) Target 165 Brook takes one, then Buttler pulls out with Afridi in his delivery stride – that should calm him down – before squirting two away through midwicket.
2nd over: England 14-1 (Buttler 0, Brook 14) Target 165 It’s Mirza from the other end and, when he directs his loosener at the pads, Brook glances away adroitly for four through backward square. Two dots follow, then a wobbler that moves away from Brook, who presents the face to no avail; naturally, he waits for the next one and carts a slower ball for six over deep square. His eyes are just absolutely dynamite – he didn’t get all of that, but he picked the length so early, he was in the perfect position to clear the boundary anyway. A single completes the over, and the England captain fancies this.
1st over: England 3-1 (Buttler 0, Brook 3) Target 165 With only one ball of the powerplay gone, Brook sends himself in at three, which makes sense, and he’s soon off the mark with a half-batter into the on-side for two. Afridi is tearing in now, seeing Brook back away and slanting a wide one across him, then one fended off the body adds a single. This is seriously intense stuff, all the more so when the last delivery of the over is a jaffa, bouncing and seaming away from the well-beaten Buttler. The bowler thinks it’s out and wants a review; the captain does not.
WICKET! Salt c Usman Khan b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 (England 0-1)
And it’s a first-baller! Salt expects it to come in, it goes away, and he catches the inside half; the keeper dives right to pouch a pretty routine grab.
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Afridi has the ball, and here we go!
I can’t wait to see how Buttler and Salt, which is an ampersand away from sounding like a maker of luxury hampers which would be elevated by some chilli McCoy’s and cola bottles, go against Afridi with pace in the pitch. Happily, I don’t have to, because we’re almost ready to go again.
England will be very happy with that. On Cricinfo, their win probability is only 43.31%, and perhaps the Pakistan spinners will be too good. But if England start well, 165 will look a pretty meagre total to chase, and even if they don’t, six or seven an over for the first bit gives them plenty of scope to do enough whacking at the end to get home.
Pakistan finish on 164-9, setting England 165 to win
WICKET! Shadab Khan run out (Bethell/Buttler) 23
Bethell collects on the midwicket fence, throws to the keeper’s end, and Buttler does the rest.
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20th over: Pakistan 165-8 (Shadab 23, Mirza 2) Curran to finish off and Mirza knocks his first ball to Brook at cover who sets, aims, shies … and misses. Had he hit, it was gone, but England’s fielding hasn’t been at its best today. Still, the’d have taken this, and two well-run twos don’t change that – the second one sees Overton slide, grab and fling superbly, only to miss the stumps when again, had he hit, it was miles out. Two balls to go and Shadab flicks the first of them for four, then plays a similar shot to the second, They take one, then turn for another…
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18th over: Pakistan 154-8 (Shadab 14, Mirza 1) A single to Mirza, then Shadab gives himself room to attack a slower ball, crashing it for four through backward point.
WICKET! Shaheen Shah Afridi c Curran b Archer 2 (Pakistan 149-8)
Slower ball, Shaheen swipes it towards deep square, and running around from deep backward, Curran leaps to his right, half facing away from the shot, holding a really good grab before taking care not to step on to the boundary. He is a cricketing Swiss army knife.
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19th over: Pakistan 149-7 (Shadab 10, Shaheen 2) Archer returns and his first two deliveries yield a single apiece…
18th over: Pakistan 147-7 (Shadab 9, Shaheen 1) Hat-trick ball, Dawson goes full and straight … but Shaheen digs out into the on-side for one. What an over, though, seven runs, two wickets, and Dawson finishes with an estimable 2-24.
REVIEW!
Laugh! Another that’s plumb, and Dawson has two wickets in an over that’s also seen his captain grass a regulation catch.
WICKET! Mohammad Nawaz lbw b Dawson 0 (Pakistan 146-7)
Dawson’s on a hatty! Another full one but this time arrowed in, and Nawaz looks to flick across the line, misses, and this one is so dead it was never alive.
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WICKET! Usman Khan c Overton b Dawson 8 (Pakistan 146-6)
Dawson tosses one up and Usman has no choice but to assault it, on to one knee to heave high down the ground and straight to Overton at long-off.
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18th over: Pakistan 146-5 (Shadab 9, Usman 8) Dawson returns and Shadab wallops towards cover, where the ball bursts Brook’s hands and runs on for four – which tells us just how hard that was hit, but even so, what an oversight! I think that’s three boundaries England have given away with careless fielding, it might be four – if they don’t win from here, there’s a reason why. A wide and a one follow…
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17th over: Pakistan 140-5 (Shadab 4, Usman 8) Usman gets going immediately with a pulled two, then gets down on one knee to monster Rashid’s final delivery over midwicket for six. Rashid finishes with 1-31.
WICKET! Fakhar Zaman c Dawson b Rashid 25 (Pakistan 132-5)
Another googly, Fakhar goes again, and slices an attempted slog-sweep high into the sky and, running in from deep backward, Dawson slides under a really good catch. England’s spinners are in the team for their bowling and whacking, but they’re all reliable in the field too.
17th over: Pakistan 132-4 (Zaman 25, Shadab 4) Rashid returns to finish off and Zaman goes hard at his first delivery, making room to slosh doewn the ground for six; naturally, the bowler doesn’t panic, responding with a cunning googly for a dot,
16th over: Pakistan 126-4 (Zaman 19, Shadab 4) Shadab, you face, is what Zaman says to the new man, in my imagination at least, and he responds well, slashing his first ball over the infield for four to point.
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Ahahahaha, are you kidding me? The autopsy tells us that which we already knew and, somewhere in Australia, Shane Watson nods knowingly.
WICKET! Sahibzada Farhan lbw b Overton 63
A yorker on middle-and-off, Farhan belatedly tries to flick away, misses, and wears it on the shin. That’s so dead it’s already in the afterlife.
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16th over: Pakistan 122-3 (Farhan 63, Zaman 19) Overton replaces Jacks and Farhan waits for his second ball, slapping over long-on where the boundary is well in, compensating for an outfield that’s been soaked by rain … and it’s six, just. The shot he plays to the next delivery, though, is a beauty, Farhan making room and stretching to cross-bat powerfully past wide mid-off – that’s abelter of a shot.
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15th over: Pakistan 112-3 (Farhan 53, Zaman 19) Curran returns and cedes singles from his first four deliveries, but can he get out of the over without conceding a boundary? Ball five is a dot, Farhan baseballing to the man mid-off, then the sixth is hit down the ground, but Curran fields and shies, hitting the stumps, but the batter was home. Pakistan can’t allow many more overs like this one, just five runs from it.
“Surely Pakistan will be disappointed with this so far, Daniel?” wonders John Ryan. “I was thinking they’d need about 190 considering their batting, the pitch, the opponent and the fact that they chose to bat first ... they need to get a move on surely?!”
Agree. It may well be possible to win with 160-170, but I’d definitely want a fair few more.
14th over: Pakistan 107-3 (Farhan 50, Zaman 17) Zaman makes room to drive, forcing Jacks back over his head … for the first six of the innings, then after a single, Farhan slog-sweeps over midwicket, the sound resounding around the globe – open your window, you’ll hear it in a sec. A two and a one that raise Farhan’s 50 – off 37 deliveries – follow, and the sprint for the line is on. But have Pakistan left themselves too much to do?
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13th over: Pakistan 91-3 (Farhan 41, Zaman 10) Rashid returns at the other end and Archer encroaches out of the circle, meaning a no ball; Rashid delivers a beauty of a googly to turn a free hit into a dot. And he’s really finding grip here, three more dots following, but after a single to Zaman, Farhan cracks a sweep for four. Pakistan are moving, while England are ticking.
12th over: Pakistan 84-3 (Farhan 36, Zaman 9) Jacks replaces Rashid and, after a single to Farhan, a ball at the pads allows a glance for four, Zaman off the mark. Then Bethell, a gun fielder, runs in, misses his pick-up, and megs himself; four more, when all England need to do is behave sensibly. Two singles follow, Jacks still glaring at Bethell as he returns to the field; if this was a cartoon, he’d be shaking his fist.
11th over: Pakistan 73-3 (Farhan 34, Zaman 0) England are rolling; as we said earlier, no one knows.
WICKET! Babar Azam b Overton 25 (Pakistan 73-3)
Under pressure to get on with it, Babar unloads the suitcase at a straight one that perhaps doesn’t bounce as much as he expected it. Even so, though, his heave across the line is is ugly as, and the ball crashes into the top of off.
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11th over: Pakistan 73-2 (Farhan 34, Babar 25) Overton returns, presumably to finagle a cheap over before returning at the death, and increasingly, this is looking like a good toss to lose: had England batted first, they’d have been swinging hard whereas now, Pakistan are showing them how to play on this surface. Three singles from four balls up the pressure…
10th over: Pakistan 70-2 (Farhan 32, Babar 24) Babar forces down the ground and they run the first one too slowly so miss out on the second. Rashid then tries one so slowly it’s almost going backwards … before injecting pace into a wrongun which Babar doesn’t pick, driving into his own pad. Two singles complete an over which yields just four, and this is very good work from England.
9th over: Pakistan 66-2 (Farhan 30, Babar 22) Dawson continues and Pakistan are letting him bowl; surely they need to look for boundaries in the immediate future? After two singles, Babar tries a heave to midwicket, but doesn’t get enough of it, so earns just two, and the over is completed with a dot, a one and a dot. So far, this is going extremely well for England: they’ve not got into the meat of the middle order yet, but whatever happens, chances are they’ll not be chasing a monster.
8th over: Pakistan 61-2 (Farhan 29, Babar 18) A key moment in the match: Adil Rashid is into the attack, beginning with a half-tracking wide. Two singles follow, as the bowler searches for his ideal pace on this deck, then Babar takes two and one into the leg side.
7th over: Pakistan 55-2 (Farhan 28, Babar 14) Curran into the attack and Babar takes his first two deliveries for two and one – he’s starting to look confident. For reasons unknown, my coverage then cuts out, returning in time for me to see Farhan clobber down the ground for four. I think England will like what they’re seeing from this surface – the pace will suit their batters, though it’ll also be encouraging for Afridi.
6th over: Pakistan 46-2 (Farhan 23, Babar 10) Bowling full of length, Dawson cramps Farhan with two deliveries, then an inside-edge bisects the men at fine land square leg, rushing away for four. A slog-sweep then adds two, Bethell doing well to redeem his earlier error with a diving, sliding stop … and that is drinks.
5th over: Pakistan 40-2 (Farhan 17, Babar 10) Archer’s first three deliveries go for singles, the batters struggling with his pace – and I think his action, suddenly bursting into speed from right close to the stumps, is a contributing factor. Babar, though, looks much better in twizzling a pull to the midwicket fence then, next ball, he waits before deflecting four more through backward point; shot. Eleven off the over, and much better from Pakistan, who’ve probably seen off Archer for the now.
4th over: Pakistan 29-2 (Farhan 15, Babar 1) Ba ba ba, Babar Azam gets away via single, then Farhan adds another; England will be thinking one more wicket and they’re really in among it.
WICKET! Salman Agha c Overton b Dawson 5 (Pakistan 27-2)
There’s a bit of panic about the way Pakistan are batting and Salman flogs Dawson high into the hair, Overton galumphing in from long-on … to take a smart low catch on the slide. Naturally, the PA immediately fires up YMCA.
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4th over: Pakistan 27-1 (Farhan 14, Salman 5) Dawson into the attack and Salman swipes his loosener to deep midwicket, Bethell chasing after it, missing his drag-back then bumping ball over fence for four. Whoops.
3rd over: Pakistan 23-1 (Farhan 14, Salman 1) Archer welcomes Salman to the crease with a beauty of a beast, short, lifting, and cracking the batter in the sternum. That did not look pleasant, and the delivery which follows has plenty of bounce too, Buttler doing well to save byes. An edged single follows, pace really kicking up now, and Farhan mini-panics, giving himself room before inside-edging four past his stumps; this is developing into a serious spell. But off the final ball of the over, the batter clouts towards the fence at deep square, Salt chases around the balcony, hurls himself full-length … and lands just short, unable to prevent the boundary-four.
“You had me ROFLing with the statement ‘If the ICC had any sense’,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “Up there among a Sensible Trump and an Ethical Fifa.”
WICKET! Saim Ayub c Bethell b Archer 7 (Pakistan 14-1)
Short from Archer, it gets a little big on Siam, and he toe-ends his pull high in the air for Bethell to snaffle at deep backward square.
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2nd over: Pakistan 14-0 (Farhan 6, Saim 7) Overton’s first delivery offers width, so Farhan flings hands, lashing four uppishly through point. A pull to Bethell at deep square adds one more, then Saim flicks to midwicket for two; a wide follows, then a drive to deep square for a further single.
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1st over: Pakistan 5-0 (Farhan 1, Saim 4) Decent nip from Archer, the pitch offering a bit more movement and bounce. After two dots, Farhan clearly desperate to get off the mark – he’s sent back, then misses with a waft – he paddles to deep point for one. This brings Saim on to strike, who looks to turn into the on side a ball that moves away from him … then steps down and cracks over third man for a one-bounce four, a much better shot, using the direction of the ball to his advantage.
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Out come the batters. I can’t wait to see what Jofra Archer makes of a pitch with juice i it.
The teams emerge, then the officials, walking through a guard of fireworks, stirring muzak playing, because how else can import be communicated? Anthem time.
The stands are pretty empty. If the ICC had any sense, they’d insist the surplus was handed to schools for free.
I’m really looking forward to watching Usman Tariq today. The pause before delivery is a brilliant innovation – it reminds me of what Thierry Henry says about finishing. He’d look the goalie in the eyes – he called it “freezing him” because he was still stood looking back while Henry was passing it past him. What the pause does, I think, is obfuscate the time of release, which means the batter can’t anticipate what’s coming at him.
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Teams
Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Salman Ali Agha (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Fakhar Zaman, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Usman Khan (wk), 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Salman Mirza, 11 Usman Tariq.
England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Tom Banton, 5 Harry Brook (capt), 6 Sam Curran, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Jamie Overton, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Adil Rashid.
I thought England would fancy a chase on this wicket, with the ball coming on helped by the dew; Ian Ward tells us that Kumar Sangakkara reckons it’s a chase wicket and Moeen Ali wisely notes that wanting to bat first bespeaks teams not that confident.
England, unchanged, would also have batted, says Harry Brook. They’ve not played their best game yet, have prepared to face all the Pakistan bowlers, and are full of confience.
Pakistan won the toss and will bat
Salman Agha thinks it’s a good pitch and conditions in Sri Lanka don’t change much from place to place. He makes one change following the NZ NR: Shaheen Shah Afridi replaces Faheem Ashraf.
Time for the toss…
I guess it just feels impossible to win a World Cup with an attack of Dawson, Rashid, Overton, Archer, Curran and Jacks, but here we are. As Juice Terry Lawson has it, variety is the spice ay life – but I’d like just a touch more quality with it.
If Jos Buttler fails again today, is his position under threat? My sense is not, because he’s earned himself credit – and he’ll hope the track they’re playing on today has a bit more pace in it than Sunday’s. If that’s so, and it’s meant to be, I wonder if England consider playing Josh Tongue; again, my sense is not, batting depth prioritised over a firing pace attack.
What an absolute state of affairs this is:
Check out Simon Burnton’s preview.
Preamble
Modern life bombards us with information, demanding us to take positions, then entrench ourselves within them. As a consequence – yes, especially for the professional pronouncers among us – slipping away is the sacred art of saying … I don’t know.
And, with men’s T20 replacing women’s tennis as the world’s least predictable sport, this is a skill on which we’d do well to rely on over the next 12 days. Take England for example, their fearsome batting phutting only to be bailed out by … their battery of spinners? Verily, we do not expletive know.
What we do know, though, is that if England beat Pakistan today, they will be into the semis with a game to spare – a task far easier said that done. Though they’re now at home in Pallekele, while Pakistan are playing their first match away from Colombo, they’ll face a variety of slow bowlers, the kind of which they’ve been struggling against, the tournament’s leading run-scorer in Sahibzada Farhan, and the gloriously destructive Babar Azam.
But of course, T20 being T20, the decisive acts are just as likely to be performed by someone we never expected them of, in way it was impossible to preconceive, to deliver an outcome that feels both surprising and inevitable … or not, no one knows.
Play: 7pm local, 1.30pm GMT
