Sri Lanka vs England 3rd ODI Match Result: Sri Lanka Chase 430 to Beat England by 2 Wickets in Historic Run-Fest

By:Amit Yadav Modified:

Sri Lanka pulled off the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history on Thursday, chasing down 430 to beat England by two wickets with one ball remaining in the third match of the Pakistan ODI tri-series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Chasing a record-breaking 429/4 built on Harry Brook’s fastest-ever ODI double century, the Islanders held their nerve through a pulsating finish as Janith Liyanage smashed an unbeaten 61 off just 27 balls to seal one of the greatest chases the format has ever seen.

SL vs ENG 3rd ODI scorecard: Sri Lanka 430/8 beat England 429/4

Innings Score Overs Top scorer Best bowling
England 429/4 50 Harry Brook 202 (116) Dunith Wellalage 2/56
Sri Lanka 430/8 49.5 Pavan Rathnayake 130 (106) Josh Tongue 3/79

Result: Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)
Toss: Sri Lanka elected to field first
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi — day/night
Player of the Match: Pavan Rathnayake

Harry Brook’s record double century powers England to 429 for 4

Put into bat first, England piled up the highest ODI total ever scored on Pakistan soil, with captain Harry Brook producing one of the great innings in one-day history. Brook raced to his double century in just 114 balls — the fastest ODI double hundred in the format’s 55-year history, eclipsing Shubman Gill’s 117-ball mark — and became the first Englishman to reach 200 in ODIs.

The 27-year-old’s 202 off 116 balls, decorated with 21 fours and 10 sixes, featured scoops, reverse-scoops, pick-ups and flat-bats that demolished the Sri Lanka attack. He reached the milestone with a paddle-sweep for four in the final over before holing out to Sahan Arachchige off Janith Liyanage off the final ball of the innings. In the process he became only the second man after Chris Gayle to complete the all-format “3-2-1”: a Test triple-century, an ODI double-hundred and a T20I century.

Joe Root provided strong support with 69 off 66 balls, becoming the first England player to cross 8,000 ODI runs. Tom Banton and Ben Duckett laid the platform with a 74-run opening stand, and Will Jacks blazed 66 not out off 30 balls. Brook’s partnerships told the story of the innings: 159 off 127 balls with Root for the third wicket and 185 off just 79 balls with Jacks for the fourth. For Sri Lanka, Dunith Wellalage (2/56) was the most economical bowler, with Asitha Fernando (1/68) and Janith Liyanage (1/32) sharing the other wickets.

Brook’s 202 also became one of the highest individual scores in a losing cause in ODI history — a record that, cruelly for him, would be rewritten within hours.

Pavan Rathnayake century anchors historic Sri Lanka run chase

Sri Lanka’s pursuit of 430 began disastrously, with openers Kamindu Mendis (18) and captain Kusal Mendis (0) falling inside five overs to leave the score at 24/2. What followed was one of the great counterattacks in ODI cricket.

Avishka Fernando joined Pavan Rathnayake and the pair added 166 runs off just 137 deliveries for the third wicket, keeping the required rate in check with a blend of clean striking and fearless running. Fernando fell agonisingly short of a century — caught and bowled by Jamie Overton for 97 off 83 balls (11 fours, 2 sixes) — but Dasun Shanaka carried the assault forward, joining Rathnayake in a 133-run fourth-wicket stand off 79 balls that saw the opener raise his second ODI century.

Rathnayake’s 130 off 106 balls, with 15 fours and 3 sixes, was the backbone of the chase, and Shanaka’s 97 gave it its momentum. When Rathnayake departed with the target still some distance away, England sensed an opening — but Janith Liyanage had other ideas. The all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 61 off just 27 balls, including seven fours and three sixes, and sealed the win with a six down the ground off Josh Tongue on the penultimate ball of the match. Tongue finished with 3/79 and Overton 1/77 for England, but neither could stem the tide as Sri Lanka’s middle order batted with breathtaking audacity. For context on how improbable this was: Sri Lanka had lost their tri-series opener to Pakistan by 37 runs and were written off by most — including our preview, which picked England to win. Our prediction pick (England) was WRONG.

Turning points in the Rawalpindi run-fest

  • Brook’s 185-run stand with Jacks (79 balls) — lifted England from strong to monumental, setting a target most teams would call unchasable.
  • 24/2 and the Fernando–Rathnayake counterpunch — the 166-run third-wicket partnership off 137 balls turned a crisis into a genuine assault.
  • Overton’s breakthrough — Fernando c&b for 97 — the first ball of the 28th over broke the most dangerous stand of the chase and briefly reopened the contest.
  • Shanaka–Rathnayake 133 off 79 — kept the required run rate within reach when England’s quicks tried to squeeze.
  • Liyanage’s finishing masterclass — 61* off 27, including the winning six with one ball to spare, after Sri Lanka needed seven off the final three deliveries.

Second-highest ODI run chase: the records that tumbled

  • 430/8 — the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, behind only South Africa’s 435 against Australia at Johannesburg in 2006.
  • 859 runs — the second-highest match aggregate in ODI history (872, Aus vs SA, Johannesburg 2006).
  • 202 (116) — the fastest ODI double century ever (114 balls), by Harry Brook; the first ODI 200 by an Englishman.
  • 429/4 — the highest ODI total ever scored in Pakistan and the most Sri Lanka have ever conceded.
  • 8,000 ODI runs — Joe Root became the first England player to reach the landmark.

Tri-series points table: what the result means

The win puts Sri Lanka on the board after two matches (one win, one loss — 2 points) and keeps their final hopes alive. England, already beaten by Pakistan by 87 runs earlier in the week, are now winless from two games (0 points) and face an uphill battle to reach the October 31 final.

Team Played Won Lost Points
Pakistan 2 2 0 4
Sri Lanka 2 1 1 2
England 2 0 2 0

Brook’s innings, for all its majesty, ended in the cruellest way for a batter — a record-breaking double century in a losing cause, upstaged by the greatest chase of the summer. For Sri Lanka, it is a statement win: the first team to chase down England’s 429, the second team ever to hunt down 430 in ODI history.

What’s next in the Pakistan ODI tri-series

The tri-series moves to Lahore, where England must beat Pakistan on October 25 at the Gaddafi Stadium to stay alive in the race for the final. Sri Lanka’s next outing is against Pakistan on October 27 before the Rawalpindi leg of heartbreak — this 3rd ODI — becomes the benchmark every remaining game is measured against. The final is scheduled for October 31.