At the halfway stage, most people would have given Sri Lanka no chance. The target of 430 was the second-highest successful ODI run chase on record, behind South Africa's 438-9 against Australia in Johannesburg in 2006. Yet Sri Lanka stunned England in a high-scoring encounter in Rawalpindi.
Harry Brook's astonishing 202 from 116 balls, which included the fastest ODI double century on record, came in vain. It was the highest score by an England batter in men's ODIs, eclipsing the 182 Ben Stokes made against New Zealand in 2023. Half-centuries from Tom Banton, Joe Root and Will Jacks backed up his knock, so the batting was not the problem.
The bowling was. Sri Lanka rallied from 24-2 after Kamindu Mendis was bowled by a beauty from Josh Tongue, and captain Kusal Mendis was run out backing up after Gus Atkinson tipped on to the non-striker's stumps. Pavan Rathnayake top-scored with 130 from 106 balls, helped by stands of 166 with Avishka Fernando and 133 with Dasun Shanaka.
Nasser Hussain highlighted England's long-standing problem of taking middle-overs wickets, with only one falling between the fifth and 41st overs. He said the return of Jofra Archer and a fully fit Adil Rashid would help address the issue.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing