England beat Pakistan to become first team to qualify for 2026 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final

by Devesh Jaganath

image England beat Pakistan to become first team to qualify for 2026 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final
The England national cricket team became the first side to book their place in the final four of the 2026 T20 World Cup by defeating Pakistan by two wickets at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. The Poms are looking to become the first team to win three T20 World Cups in the history of the tournament.

Brilliant Harry Brook leads England to T20 WC final four

England confirmed our 2026 T20 World Cup prediction by holding firm to beat Pakistan by two wickets in a tense Super 8 clash at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium on Tuesday afternoon. 

The Shaheens opted to bat after winning the toss but suffered a couple of early setbacks with Saim Ayub and skipper Salman Ali Agha being dismissed in consecutive overs before Sahidzada Farhan and Babar Azam provided some stability and got their team to 73/3 in the 11th over. 

Unfortunately, after the duo were sent back to the pavilion, the Shaheens’ lower order crumbled, with only Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan managing scores of 20+ runs. Usman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Afridi added just 10 runs combined, which saw the Green Shirts end their 20 overs on 164/9. 

In response, England got off to a horrendous start with Phil Salt dismissed for a golden duck, while Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell also fell inside the powerplay, all to the bowling of a fired up Afridi, who also claimed the scalp of Harry Brook later in the match. 

However, that was not before the English skipper produced one of the innings of the tournament, scoring a stunning century in just 51 balls, including 10 fours and 4 sixes. By the time he was dismissed, England needed just 10 runs in three overs. 

Pakistan made it a nervy ending for the Poms, though, with Mohammad Nawaz knocking over Will Jacks and Jamie Overton in the penultimate over, but Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer finally got their team over the line with five balls to spare. 

Can Pakistan still qualify for the World Cup semi-final?

Following the result in Kandy on Tuesday, England are now guaranteed to qualify for the semi-finals, regardless of the outcome in their final Group 2 match against New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday evening. 

For Pakistan, after their first match of the Super 8 against the Black Caps was abandoned due to rain, they are now still on one point with one game to play, and their hopes of reaching the last four of the competition are largely out of their own hands. Here are the possible scenarios:

Scenario 1: If New Zealand or Sri Lanka win both their remaining games, Pakistan will not be able to qualify for the semi-final.

Scenario 2: If Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in their final match, they will need England to beat New Zealand to remain in the competition, but second place could still come down to net run rate. 

Scenario 3: If Pakistan lose to Sri Lanka, they are eliminated.