Sri Lanka chased down 430 to beat England by two wickets in Rawalpindi, the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, with one ball to spare. Pavan Rathnayake made 130 and Dasun Shanaka 97 off 50 balls, outdoing Harry Brook’s record 202 off 116.
Rawalpindi, Pakistan: Harry Brook did something no Englishman had done in 50-over cricket, and it still was not enough. Brook scored the fastest double century in ODI history on Thursday, only for Sri Lanka to hunt down the 430 he helped set in 49.5 overs and keep their Pakistan ODI tri-series hopes alive.
Brook rewrites the record book
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field, with captain Kusal Mendis pointing to the threat of dew under the lights. England started steadily. Tom Banton made 50 off 51 balls and Ben Duckett 29 in a 74-run opening stand, and England were 85 for 2 when Duckett fell.
Then Brook took over. He and Joe Root added 159 for the third wicket, Root making 69 off 66 balls, and Brook kept going long after. He reached 200 in 114 balls, quicker than the 126 Ishan Kishan needed for the previous fastest ODI double hundred, and finished on 202 off 116 balls with 21 fours and 10 sixes. It was England’s first men’s ODI double century and it eclipsed Ben Stokes’ record England score of 182.
The finish was ferocious. England took 156 runs from the last ten overs, and Will Jacks hammered an unbeaten 66 off 30 balls with eight fours and three sixes. England closed on 429 for 4 in 50 overs, their fourth-highest ODI total. Dunith Wellalage took 2 for 56 for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka refuse to blink
The reply began badly, with two wickets down early. What followed was a chase built on three big innings. Avishka Fernando made 97 off 83 balls and Pavan Rathnayake, who put on a match-shaping stand with Fernando, went on to 130.
Dasun Shanaka then turned the chase on its head. He smashed 97 off 50 balls with eight sixes, falling three runs short of a century, just as Fernando had. Janith Liyanage was still there at the end, unbeaten on 61, and Sri Lanka needed eight runs from the final over. Liyanage settled it with a six off the penultimate ball, sending Sri Lanka to 430 for 8 with a single delivery left.
History and what it means for the tri-series
Only one successful chase in ODI history is bigger: South Africa’s 438 for 9 against Australia in Johannesburg in 2006, a one-wicket win. Sri Lanka’s chase now sits second on that list, and Brook’s historic double hundred ended up on the losing side.
The result also reshuffles the table. Sri Lanka lost their opener to Pakistan by 37 runs in Salman Agha’s 107-inspired win, while England had been beaten by 87 runs when Arafat Minhas starred for Pakistan. Pakistan have won both of their matches, Sri Lanka now have one win from two, and England are winless after two defeats.
England next face Pakistan in Lahore on 25 October, and the top two sides after the league stage meet in the Lahore final on 31 October.
Result summary: England 429/4 in 50 overs (Harry Brook 202 off 116, Joe Root 69, Will Jacks 66*); Sri Lanka 430/8 in 49.5 overs (Pavan Rathnayake 130, Avishka Fernando 97, Dasun Shanaka 97, Janith Liyanage 61*). Sri Lanka won by two wickets with one ball to spare, at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
