Harry Brook played the fastest double hundred in men’s one-day international history on Thursday in Rawalpindi, and still finished on the losing side. England’s white-ball captain made 202 from 116 balls to lift his team to 429 for 4 in the ODI tri-series. Sri Lanka then reached 430 for 8 with one ball to spare and won by two wickets. It was the second-highest successful chase the format has seen, behind only South Africa’s 438 for 9 against Australia in Johannesburg in 2006.
Key takeaways
- Brook’s 202 off 116 balls is the fastest ODI double century and the first by an England batter, beating Shubman Gill’s record set last month.
- Sri Lanka chased 430 with a ball left, the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history after South Africa’s 438 in 2006.
- England have lost both tri-series games so far, while Pakistan lead with two wins before the 31 October final.
How England reached 429
The innings was built in stages. Tom Banton made 50 from 48 balls at the top. Joe Root then added 159 for the third wicket with Brook before falling for 69. The real damage came at the end. Brook and Will Jacks put on 185 for the fifth wicket, and 156 of those runs came in the last 10 overs. Jacks finished on 66 not out.
Brook hit 21 fours and 10 sixes. According to the ICC, that is 144 runs in boundaries, the most by an England batter in a single ODI innings. He was caught by Sahan Arachchige off Janith Liyanage from the final ball of the innings. His score passed Ben Stokes’s 182 against New Zealand in 2023 as England’s highest individual ODI score. England’s 429 for 4 is the highest men’s ODI total ever made in Pakistan, and England’s fourth-highest in the format. For Sri Lanka, Dunith Wellalage took 2 for 56.
Where the record stands now
The fastest ODI double hundred has changed hands twice in under a month. Shubman Gill took the mark in Guwahati on 30 September, reaching 200 in 117 balls against West Indies. He went on to 223 not out as India chased 406. Before that, Ishan Kishan’s 126-ball double against Bangladesh in December 2022 was the benchmark.
| Batter | Opponent and venue | Date | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ishan Kishan (India) | Bangladesh, Chattogram | 10 December 2022 | 200 in 126 balls |
| Shubman Gill (India) | West Indies, Guwahati | 30 September 2026 | 200 in 117 balls, finished 223 not out |
| Harry Brook (England) | Sri Lanka, Rawalpindi | 22 October 2026 | 202 off 116 balls |
Reports describe the margin slightly differently. The ICC compares Brook’s 116 balls with Gill’s 117. The National says Brook reached 200 in 114 balls. Either way, he was quicker than Gill.
How Sri Lanka chased it down
The chase did not start well. Captain Kusal Mendis was run out without facing a ball, and Sri Lanka were 24 for 2. Avishka Fernando and Pavan Rathnayake then added 166 for the third wicket, which turned a lost cause into a real contest. Fernando fell for 97, caught and bowled by Jamie Overton. Rathnayake went on to 130 from 106 balls, reaching his hundred in 87.
Dasun Shanaka kept the rate within reach with 97 from 50 balls, including eight sixes. England fought back when Josh Tongue removed Wellalage and Eshan Malinga with successive deliveries. Liyanage, who had bowled the ball that dismissed Brook, then finished it with the bat. He made 61 not out from 27 balls, brought up his fifty in 22, and hit a six off the penultimate ball to seal the win. Sam Curran took two wickets but conceded 102 runs.
Brook’s reaction was blunt. “Unfortunately it doesn’t mean anything now being on the losing side,” he said, as quoted by Sky Sports, adding that Sri Lanka had “played an absolute blinder”. According to The National, he also said: “It was a nice innings but being on the losing side it has no value whatsoever in my eyes.” Mendis was happier: “We chased very well today, I enjoyed it as captain … everybody showed their character.”
A rare kind of chase
Successful chases of 400 or more are still very rare. Sky Sports reports that Sri Lanka’s was only the third in ODI history. The first was South Africa’s famous 438 in 2006. The second came less than a month ago, when India reached 406 for 2 in 43.3 overs against West Indies in Guwahati, the match in which Gill set his record. The match in Rawalpindi produced 859 runs in total, with Sri Lanka’s 430 just one run more than England’s 429.
Before September, the second-highest chase on Wisden’s list was South Africa’s 372 for 6 against Australia in Durban in 2016. That gap shows how quickly the ceiling has risen. For bowlers, the lesson from Rawalpindi is uncomfortable: a 400-plus total no longer guarantees a win on a flat pitch.
What it means for the tri-series
The result leaves England under pressure. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs on 18 October and England by 87 runs on 20 October, so they are well placed for the final. Thursday’s defeat was England’s second in a row, while Sri Lanka picked up their first points of the tournament.
- 25 October: England v Pakistan, Lahore
- 29 October: England v Sri Lanka
- 31 October: Final
With two games left each, England have little room for another slip. For Sri Lanka, the win shows their middle order can chase almost anything. For Indian fans, it also means Gill’s record lasted just 22 days. Follow more cricket and other results in our sports section.
Sources
- Sky Sports: Sri Lanka chase down 430 to stun England despite Harry Brook’s historic double century (22 Oct 2026)
- ICC: Brook makes ODI history with record-fastest double ton
- The National: Harry Brook smashes fastest ODI double century and breaks Shubman Gill’s record (22 Oct 2026)
- Business Today: Shubman Gill creates history with fastest ODI double ton in 117 balls (30 Sep 2026)
- DT Next: Gill’s record double ton powers India’s eight-wicket win over West Indies
- Wisden: Highest ODI chases, full list
Drafted with AI assistance; fact-checked and edited by Ajay Mahawar, Taaza Khabar.
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