Brook hits record 202 but Sri Lanka chase down 430 in Rawalpindi

England captain Harry Brook hit the fastest double century in One-day International history in Rawalpindi on Thursday, but Sri Lanka chased down England’s 429 for four to win by two wickets with one ball to spare, Dawn and Geo News reported.

It was the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history and Sri Lanka’s highest ever.

Brook’s day of records

Brook raced to his double hundred in 114 balls, beating the previous mark of 117 balls set by India’s Shubman Gill, Dawn reported. He made 202 off 116 deliveries, with 21 fours and 10 sixes, before he was caught by Sahan Arachchige off Janith Liyanage on the last ball of the innings.

The innings set several records:

• Fastest ODI double century: 114 balls, beating Gill’s 117 against the West Indies in Guwahati last month.
• England’s highest ODI score: beating Ben Stokes’s 182 against New Zealand in 2023.
• Highest men’s ODI score in Pakistan: beating Gary Kirsten’s 188 against the UAE in Rawalpindi in 1996, Geo News reported.
• First England captain to score an ODI double century.

England’s 429 for four was the highest team total in Pakistan, beating Pakistan’s 375 for three against Zimbabwe in 2015. Joe Root made 69 off 66 balls in a 159-run stand with Brook, and Will Jacks added an unbeaten 60 off 33 balls in a 185-run stand off 77 deliveries. Tom Banton made 51 at the top.

Sri Lanka’s reply

Sri Lanka were in trouble at 24 for two inside five overs after losing Kamindu Mendis for 18 and captain Kusal Mendis for a duck, Geo News reported.

Then the runs came:

• Pavan Rathnayake and Avishka Fernando put on 166 for the third wicket off 137 balls. Fernando fell for 97 off 83 balls.
• Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka added 133 for the fourth wicket. Rathnayake made 130 off 106 balls, his second ODI hundred, and was named player of the match.
• Shanaka smashed 97 off 50 balls with eight sixes before falling three short of a maiden ODI hundred.
• Janith Liyanage finished unbeaten on 61 off 27 balls.

Needing six off the last two balls, Liyanage launched Josh Tongue over long-off for six to seal the win, Dawn reported. Tongue took three for 79 and Sam Curran two wickets. For Sri Lanka, spinner Dunith Wellalage took two for 56 in his 10 overs.

“Heartbreaking,” says Brook

“Unfortunately, it (the record) doesn’t matter now,” Brook said. “It’s very disappointing that we haven’t been able to defend 430, but that’s life, that’s cricket. You don’t see many teams chase down 430 and hats off to Sri Lanka.”

He said England now need to win their next two games to reach the final in Lahore.

The table

England are bottom after two defeats. They lost to Pakistan by 87 runs at the same ground on Tuesday, when Arafat Minhas took six wickets. Pakistan lead the tri-series table with two wins from two, and the top two sides meet in the final in Lahore on October 31. See the full schedule.