England vs Pakistan, 45th Match, Super 8 Group 2 (Y1 v Y3), ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 - Commentary
Series: ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026
Date & Time: Today, 7:00 PM LOCAL
PAK
164-9(20)
ENG
101-4(11.1)
CRR:9.04
REQ:7.25
England need 64 runs in 53 balls
Key Stats
Partnership: 43(24)
Last Wkt: Tom Banton c Usman Khan b Usman Tariq 2(6) - 58/4 in 7.1 ov.
Last 5 overs: 48 runs, 1 wkts
Toss: Pakistan (Batting)
Recent :
2
ENG
69%
PAK
31%
Match Videos
VIEW ALL 
11.1
Usman Tariq to Sam Curran, 2 runs, flatter through the air on middle and leg, Sam Curran clips it through the leg-side for a couple of runs
Usman Tariq [1.0-0-5-1] is back into the attack
11
1 4 1 1 6 4 (17 runs)
ENG 99-4
Harry Brook
72(35)
Sam Curran
13(11)
Shadab Khan
3-0-31-0
10.6
4
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, FOUR, almost goes the distance! This was fraction short and Harry Brook pulls it towards wide long-on. Just bounces in front of the cushions. Looked like a six for a moment. 17 runs from that over
10.5
6
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, SIX, smashed into the sightscreen! Harry Brook advances down the wicket and smokes it right over the bowler's head for a massive six. Hit the sightscreen
10.4
Shadab Khan to Sam Curran, 1 run, flatter through the air around middle and leg, Sam Curran nudges it towards mid-on for a single. Shadab Khan had to sprint across and stop it
10.3
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, 1 run, flicked through mid-wicket as the bowler goes full
10.2
4
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, FOUR, swept away! Full and straight on leg, Harry Brook brings out the sweep, times this perfectly and manages to beat Nawaz at deep square leg
10.1
Shadab Khan to Sam Curran, 1 run, googly outside off, Sam Curran has a poke and the outside edge rolls towards short third man for one
10
1 1 2 4 1 1 (10 runs)
ENG 82-4
Sam Curran
11(9)
Harry Brook
57(31)
Saim Ayub
2-0-21-0
9.6
Saim Ayub to Sam Curran, 1 run, full and just outside off, Curran pushed the drive to the right of Babar at long-on. Thought about a second, but sent back!
9.5
Saim Ayub to Harry Brook, 1 run, tossed up on off, driven down the ground to the left of Babar at long-off
9.4
4
Saim Ayub to Harry Brook, FOUR, dropped short on leg stump, Brook was quick to latch onto that with a cracking pull through short fine. Shaheen gives chase to his right, but to no avail...
9.3
Saim Ayub to Harry Brook, 2 runs, fired in on the pads, Brook pulls and gets it wide of the fielder at deep square to his left
9.2
Saim Ayub to Sam Curran, 1 run, darted in on the pads, flicked away into the mid-wicket pocket
9.1
F
Saim Ayub to Harry Brook, 1 run, a 28-ball fifty for Harry Brook. He gets there with a sweep to the right of short fine
Saim Ayub [1.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack
9
1 1 1 Wd 1 0 4 (9 runs)
ENG 72-4
Sam Curran
9(7)
Harry Brook
49(27)
Shadab Khan
2-0-14-0
8.6
4
Shadab Khan to Sam Curran, FOUR, through the hands! That should have been a single at best, but Shaheen gifted a boundary. Curran went back and pulled it down the ground off the thick inside half. Shouts of 'catch it', but Shaheen decided to save the boundary and ended up making an absolute meal of it at the last moment. Tried to take it on the bounce and the ball slipped through the fingertips...
8.5
Shadab Khan to Sam Curran, no run, goes on the back foot and clips the legbreak straight to backward square
8.4
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, 1 run, advances and pushes the full delivery to the right of extra cover
8.4
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, wide, short and spinning away well wide of off, left alone to the keeper
8.3
Shadab Khan to Sam Curran, 1 run, tucked away off the pads square on the leg-side
8.2
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, 1 run, tossed up wide of off, Brook biffs the drive to long-off
Tom Banton's batting in this tournament
vs pace: 15 off 22, zero dismissals, SR: 68.2
vs spin: 90 off 62, four dismissals, Avg: 20.5, SR: 145.1
vs pace: 15 off 22, zero dismissals, SR: 68.2
vs spin: 90 off 62, four dismissals, Avg: 20.5, SR: 145.1
8.1
Shadab Khan to Sam Curran, 1 run, full on the stumps, Curran plays the whippy flick to the left of long-on. A slight fumble from Shaheen, but England don't risk the second...
8
W 1 1 1 1 1 (5 runs)
ENG 63-4
Sam Curran
3(3)
Harry Brook
47(25)
Usman Tariq
1-0-5-1
7.6
Usman Tariq to Sam Curran, 1 run, sliding in with the arm, Curran tucks to the right of backward square for a quick single
7.5
Usman Tariq to Harry Brook, 1 run, full on leg stump, wristed away to the right of deep square
7.4
Usman Tariq to Sam Curran, 1 run, fuller on middle and leg, Curran knocks it into the leg-side for a quick single
7.3
Usman Tariq to Harry Brook, 1 run, slower and spinning in, Brook punches it off the back foot to the left of sweeper cover
7.2
Usman Tariq to Sam Curran, 1 run, sits back and cuts the flatter delivery to the right of sweeper cover
Sam Curran, left handed bat, comes to the crease
Tariq to weave his magic: Tariq is the only spinner with an economy rate under 6 in this tournament. He has struck off his first delivery. England are usually susceptible against mystery spin so expect Tariq to finish with 2-3 wickets.
7.1
W
Usman Tariq to Tom Banton, out Caught by Usman Khan!! And he strikes first ball. Thick outside edge and Usman Tariq is chuffed to bits. Bowls the googly outside off and Banton couldn't resist himself from playing the hard cut. Was stuck inside the crease and played with hard hands. Result? Thick edge and a sharp reaction catch from the keeper. Tom Banton c Usman Khan b Usman Tariq 2(6)
Usman Tariq to Tom Banton, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Here comes the man with some magic...
Usman Tariq, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Most wickets in Overs (1-6) in T20 WCs
18 - Shaheen Afridi (ER: 6.22)*
16 - KG Rabada (ER: 7.30)
15 - Angelo Mathews (ER: 5.65)
PAK bowlers with three wickets in Overs (1-6) in a T20 WC game
3/15 - Mohammad Asif vs IND, Durban, 2007
3/20 - Abdul Razzaq vs SL, Lord’s, 2009
3/16 - Shaheen Afridi vs IRE, Lauderhill, 2024
3/13 - Shaheen Afridi vs ENG, Pallekele, 2026*
18 - Shaheen Afridi (ER: 6.22)*
16 - KG Rabada (ER: 7.30)
15 - Angelo Mathews (ER: 5.65)
PAK bowlers with three wickets in Overs (1-6) in a T20 WC game
3/15 - Mohammad Asif vs IND, Durban, 2007
3/20 - Abdul Razzaq vs SL, Lord’s, 2009
3/16 - Shaheen Afridi vs IRE, Lauderhill, 2024
3/13 - Shaheen Afridi vs ENG, Pallekele, 2026*
7
0 0 1 2 2 0 (5 runs)
ENG 58-3
Harry Brook
45(23)
Tom Banton
2(5)
Shadab Khan
1-0-5-0
6.6
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, no run, cuts the legbreak and picks out the fielder at backward point
6.5
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, 2 runs, oh dear! Brook came charging down the wicket and got a thick inside edge on the drive that skimmed past the leg peg and rolled down to the right of fine leg. It was a legbreak and Brook was lucky to get some bat on that...
6.4
Shadab Khan to Harry Brook, 2 runs, slower on off stump, Brook works it away into the mid-wicket pocket and backs it up with superb running between the wickets
6.3
Shadab Khan to Tom Banton, 1 run, too full on leg stump, driven down the ground to the left of long-on
6.2
Shadab Khan to Tom Banton, no run, looks to play the switch hit and mistimes it straight to the man at backward point
6.1
Shadab Khan to Tom Banton, no run, tossed up on off, Banton pushes it to the right of backward point
Shadab Khan, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Timeout! Brook has promoted himself up the order and he is leading by example at the moment. That last powerplay over has tilted things slightly in favour of England.
Powerplay summary (Overs 1-6)
- Shaheen sends Salt packing for a golden duck off the first ball of the innings
- Brook hits Mirza for a four and six in his 1st over
- Shaheen strikes again as he nicks Buttler off in his 2nd over
- Tariq drops a straightforward chance of Bethell on 6 off Ayub’s bowling
- Brook stick to his aggressive approach and continues to find boundaries
- Shaheen dismisses Bethell with a short delivery to pick up a 3-fer
- Brook hits Nawaz for two fours and a six in his 1st over
- Shaheen sends Salt packing for a golden duck off the first ball of the innings
- Brook hits Mirza for a four and six in his 1st over
- Shaheen strikes again as he nicks Buttler off in his 2nd over
- Tariq drops a straightforward chance of Bethell on 6 off Ayub’s bowling
- Brook stick to his aggressive approach and continues to find boundaries
- Shaheen dismisses Bethell with a short delivery to pick up a 3-fer
- Brook hits Nawaz for two fours and a six in his 1st over
6
1 2 4 4 0 6 (17 runs)
ENG 53-3
Harry Brook
41(20)
Tom Banton
1(2)
Mohammad Nawaz
1-0-17-0
5.6
6
Mohammad Nawaz to Harry Brook, SIX, poor ball from Mohammad Nawaz. No spin - just fired it flat on the stumps, Brook used the depth of the crease to step back and launch the heave straight back over the bowler's head ala Heinrich Klaasen. 17 off the over.
5.5
Mohammad Nawaz to Harry Brook, no run, this one grips and bounces extra, Brook mistimes the punchy drive to the right of the bowler. Nearly a return catch that. Very nearly...
5.4
4
Mohammad Nawaz to Harry Brook, FOUR, advances, gets closer to the pitch of the full delivery and flays it over the fielder at cover to his left. Much-needed boundaries these for England and the skipper is delivering it in style
5.3
4
Mohammad Nawaz to Harry Brook, FOUR, premeditates the sweep, sinks low and swiipes it over short fine for a two-bounce boundary
5.2
Mohammad Nawaz to Harry Brook, 2 runs, short just outside off, Brook uses his wrists to nudge it in the gap wide of mid-wicket for a couple of runs
5.1
Mohammad Nawaz to Tom Banton, 1 run, looks to play the switch hit and ends up dragging it off the inside edge to the left of short third
Mohammad Nawaz, Left arm orthodox, comes into the attack
5
1 4 1 0 W L1 (7 runs)
ENG 36-3
Tom Banton
0(1)
Harry Brook
25(15)
Shaheen Afridi
3-0-13-3
4.6
Shaheen Afridi to Tom Banton, leg byes, 1 run, 139ks length delivery hits Tom Banton on the knee roll, huge cry for leg before but they decide against the review. Height was an issue there, but the batters were alert enough to pinch a quick single as the ball rolled into the off-side
Tom Banton, right handed bat, comes to the crease
4.5
W
Shaheen Afridi to Jacob Bethell, out Caught by Sahibzada Farhan!! No-one's dropping this one. 137ks short ball angled in at the body, Bethell goes for the pull but because of the extra pace he couldn't time it as well as he would have liked. Was cramped for room and ended up dragging it off the thick inside half to the right of deep square where Sahibzada Farhan takes a well-judged low-sliding catch. Was a relatively tough chance and the Pakistan opener made that look easy. Jacob Bethell c Sahibzada Farhan b Shaheen Afridi 8(10) [4s-1]
Shaheen Afridi to Jacob Bethell, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
4.4
Shaheen Afridi to Jacob Bethell, no run, full and just outside off at 140ks, Bethell drills it straight to Fakhar at mid-off
4.3
Shaheen Afridi to Harry Brook, 1 run, 140ks full on leg stump, Brook toe-ends the drive to the left of the diving fielder at mid-on
4.2
4
Shaheen Afridi to Harry Brook, FOUR, makes room early and spanks the 125ks length ball in the gap between cover and mid-off. The gap was huge in that area and Brook did well to give himself enough space on the off-side to place it to perfection...
4.1
Shaheen Afridi to Jacob Bethell, 1 run, direct hit, but Bethell is safe! Juicy full toss outside off, Bethell slams it to Fakhar at mid-off and hustles through for a quick single
4
1 1 4 0 1 4 (11 runs)
ENG 29-2
Harry Brook
20(13)
Jacob Bethell
7(7)
Saim Ayub
1-0-11-0
3.6
4
Saim Ayub to Harry Brook, FOUR, adding insult to injury is Harry Brook. Dances down the wicket, gets behind the full ball and plays a whippy drive in the gap to the right of mid-on to bring up the second boundary of the over
3.5
Saim Ayub to Jacob Bethell, 1 run, dropped. Usman Tariq, the fielder. Bethell got a thick top-edge on the slogsweep and Tariq, who had the catch for a fleeting moment, shells it. He was perhaps distracted the keeper running towards him and lost the balance at the last moment. Held the ball, clutched it onto his chest and ended up dropping it through his palms...
3.4
Saim Ayub to Jacob Bethell, no run, slower and fuller on off, Bethell is happy to tap it into the off-side
Jos Buttler scores this WC: 26, 21, 3, 3, 7, 2
3.3
4
Saim Ayub to Jacob Bethell, FOUR, sliding into middle and leg, Bethell jumps on the back foot and powers the pull in the gap through mid-wicket. Picked the length early and got the desired result on that...
3.2
Saim Ayub to Harry Brook, 1 run, full on middle and leg, Brook flicks it to the right of Shaheen at mid-wicket for a quick single
3.1
Saim Ayub to Jacob Bethell, 1 run, jumps on the back foot and slaps the shorter delivery to long-off
Saim Ayub, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
First signs of spin. Saim Ayub with no slips..
3
1 2 W 0 0 1 (4 runs)
ENG 18-2
Jacob Bethell
1(3)
Harry Brook
15(11)
Shaheen Afridi
2-0-7-2
2.6
Shaheen Afridi to Jacob Bethell, 1 run, 133ks short on off stump, Bethell shuffles and plays the swivel-pull to the left of backward square leg
2.5
Shaheen Afridi to Jacob Bethell, no run, 137ks in the fuller length zone outside off, Bethell mistimes the drive to Babar at short extra cover
2.4
Shaheen Afridi to Jacob Bethell, no run, 137ks pitched up outside off, Bethell pings the drive to mid-off
Jacob Bethell, left handed bat, comes to the crease
2.3
W
Shaheen Afridi to Jos Buttler, out Caught by Usman Khan!! Jos Buttler's World Cup goes bad to worse. He has only scored 60 runs from 5 innings before this and the numbers are not going to improve any further. He slashes at a 135ks away swinger and feeds a healthy inside edge to the right of the keeper. The feet were cemented to the crease and Buttler tried to force it on the off-side with hard hands, no dice. Jos Buttler c Usman Khan b Shaheen Afridi 2(3)
Shaheen Afridi to Jos Buttler, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
2.2
Shaheen Afridi to Jos Buttler, 2 runs, 135ks good length on middle and leg, Buttler nudges it in the gap between deep square and deep mid-wicket. Easy two...
This is the first time Harry Brook has batted in the top three in his T20I career.
Jos Buttler pulls out at the last moment. He cites movement behind the bowler's arm as the disturbing factor...
2.1
Shaheen Afridi to Harry Brook, 1 run, short of length outside off at 139ks, Brook opens the bat face and steers it to the left of square third man
2
4 0 0 0 6 1 (11 runs)
ENG 14-1
Harry Brook
14(10)
Jos Buttler
0(1)
Salman Mirza
1-0-11-0
1.6
Salman Mirza to Harry Brook, 1 run, shuffles deep inside the crease and slaps the 126ks short of length delivery to deep backward point
1.5
6
Salman Mirza to Harry Brook, SIX, nothing tentative about this one from the England skipper. He fetches the 123ks short ball from outside off and murders the pull all the way over deep square for a 76-metre maximum
STAT: Shaheen Afridi is the first Pakistan bowler to pick a wicket off the first ball of a T20 WC innings.
1.4
Salman Mirza to Harry Brook, no run, there comes the slower ball, It lands on a length, grips and travels on the bounce to the keeper. Brook was stuck to the crease and tried to poke tentatively at the last moment...
1.3
Salman Mirza to Harry Brook, no run, back of a length just outside off at 132ks, Brook goes hard and ends up stabbing it into the off-side
1.2
Salman Mirza to Harry Brook, no run, Brook waltzes down the pitch and heaves the 138ks length delivery off the inside edge to the left of mid-on
1.1
4
Salman Mirza to Harry Brook, FOUR, starts off with a 137ks gimme down the leg-side, Brook picks it off his pads and clips it away in the gap through short fine
Salman Mirza, comes into the attack
One slip for Mirza...
A gutsy move from the English skipper: Brook promoting himself to No. 3 can be a masterstroke. He averages more than 55 and has a strike rate of almost 150 against Pakistan in T20Is. Backing him to score at least 30 runs.