Harry Brook Century Powers England national cricket team into Super 8s

England qualified for the Super 8s stage of the T20 World Cup 2026 after two consecutive victories. Batting first on Tuesday at Pallekele, Pakistan scored 164 for 9 in their 20 overs. England, with a fast century by captain Harry Brook, chased the target with 8 wickets in hand and five balls to go, winning by two wickets. Brook was over the moon to have reached the semi-finals. "Coach Brendon McCullum had a special plan for me, and it worked," Brook said.

After the match, Harry Brook, having secured a place in the semi-finals, said, "It's great. Thankfully, we've accomplished what we set out to do." Who made the decision to promote him to No. 3, and when was it made? Brook said, "Brendon McCullum made the decision this morning; he was the mastermind behind it."

Thankfully, it worked out tonight. We wanted to make the most of the powerplay, and everyone knows that I like to try to take the game forward, and I was going to do that from ball one."

Has the idea of ​​promoting himself up the order been on his mind? Brook said, "I've been thinking about it for some time, and it's something I want to do as I move forward in my career, not just for England and franchise cricket." Early in the morning, Baij asked, "What do you think about going in at number three? Pakistan is your favorite team, and I thought, 'Let's do it.'"

Regarding scoring centuries in all formats, Brook said, "It's always nice, but the main thing is to win games. I was a little nervous at the end. I was joking with Baij, saying, 'Hopefully, it won't be like the Oval (against India).' Thankfully, we won and reached the semifinals."