Harry Brook goes berserk in Rawalpindi, breaks Shubman Gill’s record for fastest ODI double century as England post 429/4 | Cricket News

Rawalpindi is known for speed and pace in the cricketing world. The fastest bowler ever to play the game was born in this Pakistani city, but on Thursday, Harry Brook brought a batting storm to Rawalpindi, scoring the fastest double century in ODIs against Sri Lanka in the ongoing tri-series, which also includes Pakistan.Brook reached the milestone in 114 balls in the final over of the innings, hitting a four off Janith Liyanage. He became the first England batter to score a double century in ODIs and broke the record held by India captain Shubman Gill, who had reached the landmark in 117 balls against West Indies in the second ODI last month.Fastest ODI double hundreds (by balls)

Brook finished with 202 off 116 balls, including 21 fours and 10 sixes, as England piled up 429/4 to give their bowlers a huge total to defend. England’s score was the highest by any team in an ODI in Pakistan, with the visitors scoring 296 runs in the final 25 overs.England got off to a solid start, with openers Tom Banton and Ben Duckett laying the foundation for the big total. Banton went on to score a half-century before Joe Root and Brook added 159 runs for a crucial partnership that put England in control.Brook then took charge of the innings, attacking the Sri Lankan bowlers and finding boundaries regularly. His 202-run knock kept the pressure on the opposition and helped England maintain a high scoring rate through the latter stages of the innings.Root also made a valuable contribution, scoring 69 off 66 balls, while Will Jacks added 66 off just 30 deliveries. Both batters shared important partnerships with Brook as England pushed towards the 430-run mark.Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to contain the scoring, with Brook leading the charge and Banton and Jacks also reaching half-centuries. Dunith Wellalage was the most successful bowler, taking two wickets for 56 runs, while Asitha Fernando finished with 1/68.The rest of the Sri Lankan attack proved expensive, with no other bowler managing to keep their economy rate below eight runs per over. England’s total of 429/4 left Sri Lanka with a daunting task in the chase.