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Harry Brook hails 'mastermind' Brendon McCullum as England batter's century against Pakistan seals T20 World Cup semi-final place

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England T20 captain Harry Brook made a surprise move up to No. 3 in the batting line-up for the team in their World Cup Super 8s match against Pakistan on Tuesday and a 50-ball century proved the crucial contribution to their two-wicket victory in Pallekele. Brook said that the switch was a late decision by "mastermind" head coach Brendon McCullum.

Highlights: England seal T20 series clean sweep over Sri Lanka

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Harry Brook praised "mastermind" Brendon McCullum for the head coach's decision to move him up the batting order for England’s T20 World Cup Super 8s win against Pakistan.

Brook batted in the top three in a T20 international for the first time on Tuesday and he stepped up after Phil Salt was dismissed for a golden duck.

Brook usually comes out to bat at No. 5, but two places higher he delivered a 50-ball century - the first time he reached triple figures in T20 for his country - which was crucial for England’s two-wicket win in Pallekele.

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Brook’s early appearance gave him the chance to exploit the powerplay and, despite Pakistan’s spinners coming into play later on a helpful pitch, Brook already had his eye in.

Speaking after the win, Brook explained it was McCullum who made the suggestion to bump him up the order.

"Baz was the mastermind there," he explained. "He had the discussion with me this morning about going up the order and trying to maximise the powerplay. Thankfully, it paid off.

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"I just try and climb into whatever the team thinks is the best role for me to play. It’s a lot easier facing their main threat bowlers when you’re on 30 or 40 rather than starting.

"The longer I bat, the better it is for me, and it’s a lot easier facing their best bowlers through the middle period when you’re already set. It’s always a lot of fun scoring runs."

Brook became just the third England player, alongside Dawid Malan and Jos Buttler, to have scored a century in all international formats of men’s cricket.

The result followed up their win against Sri Lanka in the Super 8S opener, and means they are guaranteed a top-two spot in their group, assuring them of a semi-final place before facing New Zealand.

Following a tough winter that saw Brook court controversy after he was punched by a bouncer in New Zealand last October before a torrid Ashes series, the Yorkshireman reflected on a tough few months.

"It’s probably been the hardest winter of my life, to be honest," Brook said. "It’s just nice to see some rewards for my hard work away from the ground.

"I’m just glad we won. It got a little bit nervy at the end there but I’m pretty happy.

"We haven’t had the perfect game yet, but hopefully that’s just round the corner. We want to try and go all the way. We’ve just got to try and stay in the moment and not focus on the semi-final."

Highlights: England clinch Sri Lanka series as Root and Brook hit tons

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Shaheen Shah Afridi found time to praise his opponent for a game-winning century.

The result means that Pakistan will need to count on other results going their way if they are to reach the last four.

And Afridi thinks Brook will never put in a better performance than he did here.

"In my opinion, this will be the best innings of his life," Afridi said. "It wasn't an easy pitch to bat on, but he took the game away from us."

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