England captain Harry Brook scored a historic 202 off 116 balls at Rawalpindi on October 22, becoming the first Englishman to hit a double century in ODI cricket, yet his side still lost the match as Sri Lanka successfully chased down a target of 430.
England posted a mammoth 429/4 in their innings. Alongside Brook's record knock, Will Jacks contributed an unbeaten 66 off 30 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes to push England past 400. Brook struck 21 fours and 10 sixes in his knock, but the result
left him dismissing the innings entirely.
"Incredible game of cricket, both teams were exceptional. Sri Lanka just outplayed us. They played exceptional cricket to knock off 400. It was a nice innings but being on the losing side it has no value whatsoever in my eyes. We got to get back to the drawing board a little bit, and we have an opportunity in the next couple of games to nail down a place in the final," Brook said in the post-match presentation.
How did England build their massive total of 429?
Sri Lanka chose to field first, and England's innings was built on a series of strong partnerships. Tom Banton and Ben Duckett opened with a 74-run stand, with Banton scoring 50 off 51 balls, hitting nine fours, while Duckett contributed 29 off 39 balls. England slipped to 85/2 after both openers departed.
Brook and Joe Root then combined for a 159-run third-wicket partnership. Root scored 69 off 66 balls with eight fours before his dismissal. Brook continued to accelerate, eventually reaching 202 and setting records as the fastest double centurion in ODI cricket, also joining Chris Gayle in an elite all-format list.
Root also made history during his innings, becoming the first Englishman to reach 8,000 ODI runs. He now stands out afar as England's leading run-scorer in the format. Among Sri Lanka's bowlers, Dunith Wellalage was the most economical with 2/56, while Dasun Shanaka conceded 74 runs in just six overs and Dilshan Madushanka went for 89 in his full allocation.
How did Sri Lanka pull off the record chase?
Sri Lanka's reply began poorly. They lost Kusal Mendis for a duck and Kamindu Mendis for 18, slipping to 24/2 early in the chase. Avishka Fernando steadied the innings with 97 off 83 balls, hitting 12 fours and two sixes, and put on a 166-run third-wicket stand with Pavan Rathnayake.
Rathnayake scored a career-best 130 off 106 balls, with 15 fours and three sixes. He then combined with Shanaka for a 133-run partnership. Shanaka struck 97 off just 50 balls, hitting six fours and eight sixes, before being dismissed in the 44th over with Sri Lanka still needing 67 runs from six overs.
Janith Liyanage then took charge with an unbeaten 61 off 27 balls, including seven fours and three sixes, to see Sri Lanka home. Josh Tongue took 3/79 and threatened a late England comeback with back-to-back wickets in the final over, but it was not enough. Sam Curran conceded 103 runs in nine overs, finishing with 2/103, as Sri Lanka completed one of the most remarkable run chases in ODI history. Brook rued his side's showing in their bowling innings.
"Unfortunately, we didn't execute well enough with the ball. We've got a great opportunity in the next couple of games to try to nail down a spot in the final. We've got to keep things simple, back ourselves, pick our chins up, and go again in the next game," Brook said.
The series shifts to the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore for the next leg of fixtures, with England taking on Pakistan on Sunday, October 25, and Sri Lanka taking on the hosts on Tuesday, October 27.
