Brook underlines status as world's best all-format batter in run-fest

Just under a year ago, Harry Brook was left wondering if he would be sacked as England white-ball captain and what damage he had done to his international career.

What a turnaround in 12 months. From whacked in Wellington to the run-fest in Rawalpindi, Brook is undeniably England's most important cricketer and probably the best multi-format batter in the world.

Brook's 202 against Sri Lanka was an astonishing display of stroke-making. There can be no higher praise than to compare Brook's dismantling of the Sri Lankan attack to the sort of innings once played by South African genius AB de Villiers.

It was the first double hundred scored by an Englishman in an ODI, passing England's previous best individual score of 182 by Ben Stokes against New Zealand in 2023. In reaching 200 in 114 balls, Brook registered the fastest double ton by anyone in an ODI, bettering the 117 deliveries of India's Shubman Gill against West Indies only last month.

Brook has joined one of international cricket's most exclusive clubs. In completing the set of a hundred in a T20, double hundred in an ODI and triple century in a Test, Brook has matched the previously unique treble of West Indies' legend Chris Gayle.

In the moment, the collection of another landmark might not mean a great deal to Brook. Despite his efforts, his team were beaten as the spirited Sri Lankans pulled off the second-highest run-chase in history in one of the most astonishing ODIs ever played.

For a man who has previously spoken about prioritising match-winning contributions over individual achievements, Brook the captain was left dejected that his innings ultimately counted for nothing. He is the first man to make a double ton in an ODI and end up on the losing side.

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