An unhappy Harry Brook sees no reason to celebrate a maiden ODI double hundred

England captain Harry Brook will not be celebrating his first double hundred in ODI cricket. Speaking after England’s second ODI of the tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Brook said there was no point in achieving personal milestones if they did not contribute to team victories.

Brook’s double hundred propelled England to a massive total of 429 for four against Sri Lanka on Thursday 22 October. But what should have been a memorable individual achievement ended in disappointment as Sri Lanka produced the second-highest run-rate in ODI history to win the final thriller by two wickets.

Brook smashed 202 off 116 balls to become the fastest batsman to reach a double hundred in men’s ODI cricket. Still, the England captain reflected on the defeat that overshadowed his remarkable innings, with Sri Lanka chasing a target of 430 with two balls to spare.

“I always say I want to contribute to winning games and have an impact on winning games,” Brook said. “Unfortunately I’m 200 and I haven’t won a match. It doesn’t matter in my eyes.”

The England captain admitted his side failed to execute their plans with the ball, allowing the Sri Lankan batsmen to take control of what looked to be a huge challenge in the chase.

“We didn’t do as well where we tried to bowl as well as we could have, probably played into their hands a little bit, but on the other hand they bowled exceptionally well,” he said.

“There’s a lot to learn from that game. We definitely didn’t do what we were trying to do for long enough. We tried to keep the stumps in the game as much as we could, we probably erred on the short side which played into their hands.”

Despite the defeat, Brook acknowledged the quality of the competition and praised Sri Lanka for completing a remarkable chase.

“To be involved in a game like that is unbelievable and hats off to Sri Lanka, they played absolutely blind there,” he said.

SRI LANKA PULL OFF A HISTORIC RUN CHASE

Sri Lanka’s victory was built on a remarkable batting effort after the visitors lost two wickets in the first five overs of their chase. Avishka Fernando and Pavan Rathnayake leveled the innings with a 166-run partnership for the third wicket, bringing Sri Lanka back into contention.

Fernando narrowly missed out on a century as he scored 97 off 83 balls as Rathnayake continued to put pressure on England’s bowlers. The latter scored 130 off 106 deliveries, hitting 15 fours and three sixes to provide Sri Lanka with a platform for the final attack.

Dasun Shanaka then attacked for England and added 133 runs with Rathnayak in just 79 balls. On his return to ODI cricket after more than two years, Shanaka smashed eight sixes and six boundaries as Sri Lanka refused to let the chase dictate the required rate.

After dismissing Shanaka for 86, Sri Lanka needed 67 runs from the last six overs but England could not regain control. Dunith Liyanage smashed an unbeaten 61 off just 27 balls and kept the visitors within reach with a flurry of boundaries.

The ending was exciting. With eight runs needed for the final over, England’s Josh Tongue dismissed Wellalage and Eshan Malinga off successive deliveries, briefly raising hopes of a dramatic turnaround. But Asitha Fernando survived a hat-trick to allow Liyanage to retake the lead.

Needing six runs from the last two deliveries, Liyanage lifted Tongue over long-off for six to complete the chase at 430 for eight. Sri Lanka secured a two-wicket victory in one of the most spectacular matches of the tri-series.

The successful run chase was the second highest in men’s ODI history, behind South Africa’s famous chase of 438 runs against Australia in Johannesburg in 2006.

BROOK’S RECORD DOUBLE CENTURY GOES FORWARD

Brook’s innings put England in the lead after Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and elected to stand. The England captain hit his maiden ODI century off 75 balls before accelerating to a double hundred that looked to have put the contest out of Sri Lanka’s reach.

He needed just 39 more deliveries to move from 100 to 200, reaching the milestone in the final when he headed with a paddle against Janith Liyanage. Brook was dismissed two balls later as he hit 202 off 116 deliveries.

His effort bettered the previous record for the fastest men’s ODI double century set by India’s Shubman Gill, who reached the milestone in 116 balls against the West Indies in Guwahati last month.

Brook was supported by Joe Root who scored 69, Will Jacks who remained unbeaten on 66 and Tom Banton who contributed 50. Jacks and Brook added 156 runs in the last 10 overs to help England finish on 429 for four.

Sri Lanka’s bowling attack struggled to stem the late onslaught. Malinga conceded 91 runs without taking a wicket while Dilshan Madushanka gave away 89. Shanaka also endured an expensive spell conceding 74 runs in six overs.

For Brook, however, the record books offered little consolation. England lost their opening match against Pakistan by 87 runs before suffering another defeat against Sri Lanka. The captain said the team will have to go back to the drawing board with a chance to recover in the remaining matches.

England face undefeated Pakistan in the second leg in Lahore on Sunday, with progress to the final of the tri-series still assured.

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