Sri Lanka’s Janith Liyanage, second right, and Asitha Fernando, third left, celebrates with teammates. (AP Photo)
The extraordinary contest produced records at both ends, with England captain Harry Brook smashing a historic 202 before Sri Lanka responded with a batting assault of their own. The match aggregate of 859 runs was the second-highest in ODI history, behind the 872-run Johannesburg classic between Australia and South Africa in 2006. Brook became the first England batter to score an ODI double century, reaching the milestone in 114 balls before finishing with 202 off 116 deliveries. His innings was the highest individual score in an ODI defeat, surpassing Charles Coventry’s unbeaten 194 for Zimbabwe against Bangladesh in 2009. Brook’s knock powered England to 429/4, with Joe Root scoring 69, Tom Banton making 50 and Will Jacks remaining unbeaten on 66. Brook’s 202 also made him the first batter to score a double century in an ODI and finish on the losing side.
The Rawalpindi run fest set a new benchmark for boundaries in an ODI, with the two sides smashing a combined 93 fours and 30 sixes. The 93 fours eclipsed the previous record of 87, set during the Australia-South Africa match in Johannesburg in 2006. Dunith Liyanage’s unbeaten 61 off just 27 deliveries kept Sri Lanka in the contest after Shanaka’s dismissal. Sri Lanka scored 170 runs in the final 15 overs, the highest total recorded in the last 15 overs of an ODI with available ball-by-ball data, eclipsing West Indies’ 146 against England in North Sound in 2023.
“It was a nice innings but being on the losing side it has no value whatsoever in my eyes,” Brook said after the defeat.
England struck 48 fours, equalling the joint second-highest tally by a team in an ODI, while Sri Lanka contributed 45. The match aggregate of 859 also became the highest in a List A game in Asia, going past the previous mark of 825. Highest match aggregate in an ODI