Pallekele [Sri Lanka], February 25 (ANI): England became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 after registering a close two-wicket win over Pakistan in Pallekele on Tuesday.

England's veteran wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler is struggling with the bat throughout this tournament after making just 62 runs in the competition so far, but his skipper, Harry Brook, has come out in his support after the victory over Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference after the victory, Brook was asked if he is concerned about his former captain's form with the bat, and the 27-year-old said, 'No, like I said plenty of times, he's a powerhouse of world cricket. He's done it on every stage. He's won World Cups in ODIs and T20s and it's just a matter of time,' as quoted by the ICC.

Buttler made 26 runs against Nepal, 21 against the West Indies, three runs against Scotland and three runs against Italy during the group-stage fixtures of England. In the first Super Eight fixture, Buttler made just seven runs against Sri Lanka and on Tuesday, he made just two runs against Pakistan.

Reacting to the media questions over Buttler's form, Brook said, 'I think people have got to give him a little bit of, cut him a little bit of slack to be honest. I think the things that he's done in world cricket have been phenomenal. He's played over 500 T20s, he's played 150 odd for England, and he's still averaging 35 striking at 145. So yeah, he's arguably our best player, and he's just not hitting him out of the middle at the minute. But yeah, I feel like people have probably got to cut him a little bit of slack.'

The 35-year-old Buttler has played 153 T20Is for England, hitting 4012 runs at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 147. Recently, he became the most capped England player in international cricket.

In the match, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first. Sahibzada Farhan (63 in 45 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) continued his fine form in the tournament and, along with knocks from Babar, Fakhar Zaman (25 in 16 balls, with two fours and sixes each), and Shadab Khan (23 off 11 balls, with four boundaries), took Pakistan to 164/9.

Liam Dawson (3/24) and Jofra Archer (2/32) delivered brilliant four-over spells, while Jamie Overton (2/26) was also brilliant in his three-over spell.

In the run-chase, Shaheen Shah Afridi (4/30) reduced England to 58/4, but Brook (100 in 51 balls, with 10 fours and four sixes) did not give up, stitching partnerships with all-rounders Sam Curran (16 in 15 balls) and Will Jacks (28 in 23 balls, with a four and two sixes) and England won the match with two wickets and five wickets left.

Now, England will take on New Zealand in their final Super Eight fixture on Friday in Colombo, whereas Pakistan will clash with Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Saturday. (ANI)