Rawalpindi (Sports Reporter): Sri Lanka made history on Thursday night when they surmounted the 430-run target – the second highest in the history of One-Day International matches – against England with one ball to spare and two wickets in hand here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
A number of records were set and tumbled during a run-fest which produced an aggregate of 859 runs – the second highest in ODIs – while the 430-run chase is also the second highest.
Harry Brook brought up his double century off just 114 balls and became the owner of fastest double ton overtaking the milestone from Shubman Gill who took 117 balls. Brook also brought up the first double century on Pakistan soil and the highest individual ODI score in the country as well.
England, who have now lost both the matches, will face Pakistan on 25 October at the Gaddafi Stadium as the remaining four matches in the tri-series are set to be played in Lahore.
Sri Lanka, who opted to bowl first, were helped to the record chase by centurion Pavan Rathnayake (130, 106b, 15x4s, 3x6s), while Avishka Fernando and Dasun Shanaka struck 97 each. Janith Liyanage, who ended up with 61 not out off 27 balls hitting seven fours and three sixes, finished the game with a six off the penultimate ball.
In the chase, Sri Lanka lost Kamindu Mendis early to Josh Tongue and their skipper Kusal Mendis for a diamond duck to slip to 24-2. At this juncture, Avishka Fernando (97, 83b, 11x4s, 2x6s) and player of the match Rathnayake stitched a valuable 166-run stand off 137 balls to lay the foundation for the record chase.
Pacer Jamie Overton broke the stand and denied Avishka his fifth ODI century. Sri Lanka promoted Dasun Shanaka to no.5 – a position at which he walked out to bat for the sixth time only in his ODI career. Shanaka provided the much-needed impetus pacing up the scoring rate in the middle overs along with Rathnayake and both managed to add 133 off 79 balls.
By the time Rathnayake departed, Sri Lanka needed 107 off 58 balls. Shanaka then threw the gauntlet in the 43rd over, hitting Sam Curran for three sixes before falling for 97 in the subsequent over. Liyanage, who was 16 off nine balls, when Sri Lanka needed 67 off 36 balls, then took apart Overton, taking 14 runs off his over.
With 43 needed off 24 balls, Liyanage unleashed a sequence of 4,4,6 against Curran before Sahan Arachchige departed on the last ball of the same over after hitting a four.
After Jacks gave away 11 runs in 48th over, Overton controlled the damage and let Sri Lanka score only five in the penultimate. Tongue threatened to defend eight runs off the last over as he gave just two runs off the first four balls and castled two batters on consecutive balls but Liyanage struck a maximum off the fifth to finish the game in style.
Earlier, England’s opener Tom Banton (50, 51b, 9x4s) and Ben Duckett (29, 39b, 2x4s) put on 71 runs and both departed in 14th and 16th over bringing Brook and Joe Root to the middle. The duo then gathered 159 runs in tandem off 127 balls as Root contributed 69 off 66 balls.
Root brought up the 8000-run mark milestone during his stay at the crease as well, becoming the first England batter to do so. Brook, who fell on the last ball of the innings, struck a total of 21 fours and 10 sixes in his outing.
Brook brought up his century off just 75 balls with a four on the first ball of the 40th over, which England finished with 273-3 on the board. That England managed to eke out 156 runs off the last 10 overs was due to Brook’s charge in company of Will Jacks (66 not out, 30b, 8x4s, 3x6s), with whom he shared a breathtaking 185-run stand off 79 balls.
From the 40th over onwards, England scored in double digits in each over as they raced past the 400-run mark for the seventh time, while Brook also overtook the highest individual score by an England batter from Ben Stokes, who had scored 182 in 2023.
Scores in brief
ODI tri-series - Match 3 – Sri Lanka beat England by two wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
England 429-4, 50 overs (Harry Brook 202, Joe Root 69, Will Jacks 66 not out, Tom Banton 50, Ben Duckett 29; Dunith Wellalage 2-56)
Sri Lanka 430-8, 49.5 overs (Pavan Rathnayake 130, Dasun Shanaka 97, Avishka Fernando 97, Janith Liyanage 61 not out; Josh Tongue 3-79, Sam Curran 2-103)
Player of the match – Pavan Rathnayake (Sri Lanka)
ODI tri-series (All matches begin at 1pm; First three matches at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium; Last four matches at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore)
18 October - Match 1 – Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs
20 October - Match 2 – Pakistan beat England by 87 runs
22 October - Match 3 – Sri Lanka beat England by two wickets
25 October - Match 4 – Pakistan v England
27 October - Match 5 – Pakistan v Sri Lanka
29 October - Match 6 – England v Sri Lanka
31 October – Final – Top two teams
