Brook’s Record 202 and Sri Lanka’s Historic 430 Chase Rewrite the ODI Record Books

Rawalpindi: Some days of cricket bend the record books. Thursday at Rawalpindi did something rarer still. It tore out several pages and rewrote them entirely, as Harry Brook struck the fastest double-century in ODI history and Sri Lanka responded with the second-highest successful chase the format has ever seen.

England’s 433 for 3, built on Brook’s 202, would ordinarily have been a winning total. Sri Lanka chased it down with time to spare, sealing a result that left a batter’s masterpiece stranded in a losing cause for the first time in the history of ODI double-hundreds.

Brook Rewrites England’s Record Books

Brook’s 202 made him the first England cricketer to score an ODI double-century, surpassing Ben Stokes‘ 182 against New Zealand at The Oval in 2023. He also became the first batter to score an ODI double-hundred in Pakistan, eclipsing Gary Kirsten’s 188 not out against UAE in the 1996 World Cup. Kirsten, now Sri Lanka’s coach, was in Rawalpindi to witness his record broken three decades later.

The innings required just 114 balls, making it the fastest double ton in ODI cricket and bettering Shubman Gill‘s 117-ball effort against West Indies last month in Guwahati. Brook’s 202 stands as the highest individual score for a non-opener in ODIs, surpassing Glenn Maxwell’s 201 not out at No. 6 against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup. The previous highest by a No. 4 was Viv Richards’ 189 not out against England in Manchester in 1984.

He also became the fourth batter to score a double hundred as captain in men’s ODIs, joining Virender Sehwag against West Indies in 2011, Rohit Sharma against Sri Lanka in 2017 and Gill last month. The previous highest ODI score by an England captain was 158 by Andrew Strauss against India in the 2011 World Cup.

The aggression was relentless. Brook scored 174 runs against fast bowlers off just 90 balls, the most a batter has scored against quicks in an ODI where ball-by-ball data is available, beating Rohit’s 166 against Sri Lanka during his 264 in 2014. He also plundered 174 runs after the 25th over, a figure only Rohit, with 204 during that same 264, and Heinrich Klaasen, with 174 against Australia in 2023, have matched or bettered in the last 25 overs of an ODI innings.

His fourth-wicket partnership with Will Jacks produced 185 off 77 balls at a run rate of 14.41, the fourth-highest for a 150-plus stand in ODIs and the highest for England.

Sri Lanka’s Answer

England’s total of 433 for 3 surpassed the previous highest ODI total in Pakistan, the 375 for 3 that Pakistan made against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015. It was not enough.

Sri Lanka’s chase of 430 is the second-highest successful chase in ODI history, behind South Africa’s 435 against Australia in 2006. It also ranks as the second-highest in all List A cricket, and four of the five successful chases of 400-plus targets in List A have come since December 2025.

At the end of the 25th over, Sri Lanka were 169 for 2, needing 261 more. No team had ever successfully chased that many runs in the last 25 overs of an ODI. The previous highest was 215 by Ireland against England in the 2011 World Cup. Pavan Rathnayake’s century, celebrated alongside Dasun Shanaka, anchored the pursuit.

The match aggregate of 859 runs is the second-highest in ODI cricket, behind the 872 scored by South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg in 2006. Eight batters recorded fifty-plus scores, the joint-most in an ODI, with the previous three such matches all having come in the subcontinent.

A Double Hundred in Defeat

Harry Brook‘s 202 became the first ODI double-hundred to come in a losing cause. The previous highest individual score in a defeat was Charles Coventry’s 194 not out against Bangladesh in 2009.

For England, there was a further unwanted entry. Sam Curran conceded 103 runs, the most by an England bowler in a men’s ODI, eclipsing his own previous mark of 98 against West Indies at North Sound in 2023.

Rawalpindi has witnessed many memorable days of cricket. Few have produced a scorecard quite like this one, where a record double-century and a record chase shared the same afternoon.

                                               

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