RAWALPINDI: The Harry Brook double century is now part of ODI history. England’s captain smashed 202 off 116 balls against Sri Lanka in the third match of the Pakistan-hosted ODI tri-series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday, becoming the first England batter to score a double hundred in one-day internationals.
He reached 200 off just 114 balls, the fastest double hundred in the format’s history, breaking Shubman Gill’s record of 117 balls set against the West Indies last month.
England finished on 429 for four, the highest ODI total ever recorded on Pakistan soil. The previous best was Pakistan’s 375 for three against Zimbabwe in 2015.
Harry Brook double century: how the innings unfolded
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to field. The decision backfired quickly. Openers Tom Banton and Ben Duckett put on 74 in brisk time before left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage removed both in successive overs. Banton made 51 off 50 balls with nine fours, while Duckett managed 29 off 39.
Brook walked in at number four in the 17th over and took charge. He reached his fifty off 42 balls and his hundred off 75, then accelerated brutally, striking part-time spinner Kamindu Mendis for back-to-back sixes to shift gears.
Brook and Root rebuild, then Brook and Jacks explode
Brook found a steady partner in Joe Root, and the two Yorkshiremen added 159 for the third wicket. Root made 69 off 66 balls with eight fours before Asitha Fernando broke the stand on the first ball of the 38th over.
What followed was carnage. Brook and Will Jacks added 185 in just 79 balls, with England piling up 156 runs in the last ten overs alone. Jacks finished unbeaten on 66 off 30 balls, striking eight fours and three sixes.
Brook fell off the final ball of the innings, caught at deep backward point off Janith Liyanage, but not before hitting 21 fours and ten sixes. His 31 boundaries are an England ODI record.
The records Brook broke in Rawalpindi
The list of records is long. Brook passed Ben Stokes’ 182 against New Zealand from 2023 to become England’s highest individual ODI scorer. His 114-ball double century beat Gill’s 117-ball effort from Guwahati.
He also joined an elite club. Only India’s Virender Sehwag and the West Indies’ Chris Gayle had previously scored both a Test triple century and an ODI double century in international cricket. Brook’s Test triple hundred came against Pakistan in Multan in 2024.
England’s 429 for four also stands as their highest ODI total away from home against a Test-playing nation, beating the 418 for six they made against the West Indies in Grenada in 2019.
Tri-series context: both sides were winless
The innings came two days after England’s 87-run defeat to Pakistan in their tri-series opener, a match where Pakistan’s young spinner Arafat Minhas took six wickets. Pakistan had posted 302 for nine in that game, with Hasan Nawaz and Minhas scoring fifties, before the teenager destroyed England’s chase. Sri Lanka had also lost their opener, going down to Pakistan by 37 runs.
Both sides came into Thursday’s game without a win, which made Sri Lanka’s decision to chase under lights understandable. Chasing 430 was always going to demand something extraordinary.
Brook had words of praise for Minhas after that defeat, and on Thursday he showed why he is rated among the finest young batters in world cricket. The 27-year-old now has four ODI centuries, all scored as captain. He averages 56.04 across 25 matches as England’s ODI captain, compared with 25.20 in 21 games before taking the armband.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have made a flying start to the tri-series, climbing to fourth in the ICC ODI rankings on the back of their two wins.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the first England batter to score an ODI double century?
Harry Brook, with 202 off 116 balls against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on October 22, 2026.
What is the fastest double century in ODI cricket?
Brook’s 200 off 114 balls, beating Shubman Gill’s 117-ball double century against the West Indies.
What is the highest ODI total on Pakistan soil?
England’s 429 for four against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, beating Pakistan’s 375 for three against Zimbabwe in 2015.
How many runs did England score in the last ten overs?
England added 156 runs in the last ten overs, with Brook and Will Jacks putting on 185 in 79 balls for the fourth wicket.
