“I SOLD my sister’s phone for these seats!” read a banner in the crowd in Rawalpindi.
By Chris Waters
Published 22nd Oct 2026, 18:04 BST
Some people will do anything for a ticket to a match in the KFC Presents Bank Alfalah Tri Nation Series - even if it means flogging their sibling’s Samsung Galaxy.
The young man no doubt had some explaining to do when his sibling found out, but he would surely have deemed it a price worth paying.
A phone can be replaced - memories of a truly incredible match cannot, Sri Lanka chasing down 430 to win by two wickets with one ball remaining.
It was the second-highest successful chase in one-day internationals - behind South Africa’s 435 to beat Australia at Johannesburg in 2006, with the match aggregate of 859 second only to that fixture (872).
Most remarkable of all, it rendered in vain the first double hundred for England in ODI cricket - and the fastest in the format - by Harry Brook, who scored 202 from 116 balls, with 21 fours and 10 sixes.
Brook reached the milestone from 114 deliveries to beat Shubman Gill’s record of 117 balls for India against West Indies only last month.
When Brook was caught on the backward point boundary off the final ball of the innings, England had scored 429-4 – their fourth-highest ODI total.
It looked to be game, set and match but Pavan Rathnayake struck 130 – and Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka 97 apiece – before an unbeaten 61 from Janith Liyanage carried Sri Lankan home, the all-rounder striking the penultimate ball off Josh Tongue for six over long-off.
After two defeats with only two games left – they face Pakistan in Lahore on Sunday – England are now in danger of failing to reach the final.
They looked shell-shocked at the end – Sam Curran becoming the first Englishman to concede 100 runs in an ODI (2-103), beating his own record of 98, with Gus Atkinson only bowling seven overs.
Earlier, Brook had come to the crease at 85-2 after 16 overs - Tom Banton having stroked a nice half-century before picking out wide long-off, then Ben Duckett falling lbw on the sweep to conclude a scratchy display.
Only 13 runs came from Brook’s first 24 balls - then he clubbed successive sixes off spinner Kamindu Mendis on his way to his fifty from 42 balls. At the other end, Joe Root eased to his 49th ODI fifty, from 54 deliveries, and had crept past 8,000 runs in the format when he clipped Asitha Fernando to short mid-wicket, perhaps surprised by some extra bounce.
Root scored 69 from 66 balls, adding 159 with Brook in 127 deliveries, the Yorkshire pair helping England reach 244-3 in the 38th over.
Brook scooped Fernando over fine-leg to raise his century from 75 balls, then rained down destruction on the Sri Lankan attack. In an eye-blink, Brook sailed past his best score in the format - 136 not out against the same opponents in Colombo earlier this year - and became increasingly inventive with scoop shots and ramps, needing only 39 balls for his second hundred.
On the radio, Jonathan Agnew put it as well as anyone: “He has literally played every shot in the book - and some that aren’t in it,” he said.
England – who were sent into bat and left out Adil Rashid and Sonny Baker in favour of Liam Dawson and Tongue – were also boosted by the runs of Will Jacks. He raced to a fifty from 25 balls and even threatened to deny Brook the chance to reach 200 as the Yorkshireman struggled to get back on strike.
But having passed Ben Stokes’s English record of 182 against New Zealand at The Oval three years ago - and survived a dropped catch in the mid-on area on 185 - Brook got to the milestone in the nick of time. He added 185 with Jacks in just 79 balls, Jacks finishing on 66 from 30 deliveries.
Sri Lanka were two wickets down inside the first four overs – Tongue bowling Kamindu Mendis before Kasul Mendis was run out at the non-striker’s end without facing, Atkinson getting a faint touch to a straight drive from Avishka Fernando.
It was England’s last success until the 28th over, Fernando - missed on 58 by Curran at deep cover off Dawson - playing handsomely before getting a leading edge back to Jamie Overton.
Fernando and Rathnayake added 166 from 137 balls, then Rathnayake and Shanaka put on 133 from 79 deliveries. Rathnayake picked out Banton at long-on off Curran, before Shanaka lofted the final delivery of Dawson’s spell to the same man in the same position.
Although Curran followed up with the wicket of Saran Arachchige, also caught at long-on, it was a night to forget for the Surrey man.
Tongue bowled Dunith Wellalage and Eshan Malinga from successive balls in the last over before Liyanage supplied the coup de grace. No doubt his own phone – and that of his team-mates – was pinging with a plethora of congratulatory messages.