England captain Harry Brook slammed the fastest ODI double century in Rawalpindi, but his knock went in vain as Sri Lanka pulled off a heist on Thursday, chasing down 430 with two wickets left and one ball to spare. With this, the Lankans registered the second-highest successful chase in ODI history.
Brook, who broke India captain Shubman Gill's record for the record, said his achievement meant nothing and held no value after England ended up losing the contest.
“Yeah, it's nice. But unfortunately, it doesn't mean anything now, being on the losing side. It has no value whatsoever in my eyes,” Brook said at the post-match presentation.
Brook, who was eventually dismissed for 202, brought up his double century off 114 deliveries, three balls quicker than Gill's recent knock against the West Indies. He also became the first English batter to score an ODI double century, setting a new record for England's highest individual score in the format and surpassing Ben Stokes' previous best of 182 against New Zealand in 2023.
Brook's innings was studded with 21 fours and 10 sixes, as he finished with an astounding strike rate of 174.14. His knock helped England post 429/4 in 50 overs, but the total wasn't enough.
Sri Lanka's fightback
{{/usCountry}}Brook's innings was studded with 21 fours and 10 sixes, as he finished with an astounding strike rate of 174.14. His knock helped England post 429/4 in 50 overs, but the total wasn't enough.
Sri Lanka's fightback
{{/usCountry}}For Sri Lanka, Avishka Fernando (97), Pavan Rathnayake (130) and Dasun Shanaka (97) produced solid knocks to defy England. In the end, Janith Liyanage's unbeaten 61 off 27 balls sealed Sri Lanka's victory in the final over.
Sri Lanka needed eight runs off the final six balls. Josh Tongue briefly raised hopes for England, dismissing Dunith Wellalage and Eshan Malinga off consecutive deliveries. But with six needed off two balls, Liyanage smashed a straight six to spark jubilation in the Sri Lankan camp.
Brook heaped praise on Sri Lanka, admitting that England were outclassed by a special effort. He added that the team needed to go back to the basics after losing their first two matches of the tri-series.
“Incredible game of cricket. I thought both teams were exceptional. Sri Lanka just outplayed us, unfortunately. We couldn't quite hit our straps with the ball and played into their strengths a little bit. And again, they played exceptional cricket to knock off 400. I think you said first time in 20 years is an incredible achievement, so fair play to them,” said Brook.
"We've got to go back to the drawing board a little bit. No, we know where we've gone wrong. Unfortunately, we didn't execute well enough with the ball," he added.