Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara has said the Sri Lankan team deserves to celebrate its historic victory over England, highlighting the outstanding performances of Pavan, Dasun, Janith and Avishka.
In a post on his official X account, Sangakkara stressed that while the team should enjoy the success, it must also remain focused on the challenges ahead. He said Sri Lanka Cricket has a responsibility to implement long-term plans to strengthen the team ahead of the World Cup scheduled to be held in South Africa in October next year.
Sangakkara emphasised the importance of building on this achievement and developing a systematic plan to take the team to its highest potential.
Sri Lanka produced a remarkable performance in the tri-nation ODI series in Pakistan, defeating England in a match that rewrote several records in international cricket.
After England posted a formidable target of 430 runs, Sri Lanka successfully chased it under lights to secure a memorable victory, overturning what had appeared to be a daunting challenge.
Sri Lanka’s successful chase of 430 runs is the second-highest successful run chase in ODI cricket history. The two teams combined to score 859 runs, the second-highest aggregate in an ODI match, behind the 872 runs scored by South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg in 2006.
England captain Harry Brook scored 202 runs, becoming the first English batter to score a double century in men’s ODI cricket. However, his remarkable innings ended in defeat, making it the first double century recorded in a losing side in ODI history.
Brook reached his double century in just 114 balls, setting a new record for the fastest double century in men’s ODI cricket, surpassing the previous mark of 117 balls.
His innings also set records for the highest individual ODI score by a non-opening batter and the highest score by a batter at number four. Brook surpassed Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten 201 and Viv Richards’ unbeaten 189, respectively.
Sri Lanka’s chase was particularly impressive given that the team required 261 runs from the final 25 overs, having reached 169 for two at the end of the 25th over. The team went on to complete the highest successful chase from the final 25 overs of an ODI innings.
Sri Lankan batters also scored 103 runs off Sam Curran, the most runs conceded by an England bowler in a men’s ODI innings, surpassing Curran’s previous record of 98 runs conceded against the West Indies in 2023.
The match saw eight batters from both teams score half-centuries or more, equalling the record for the highest number of 50-plus individual innings in a single ODI.
England had earlier set a new record for the highest ODI total in Pakistan, scoring 429 runs and surpassing Pakistan’s previous record of 375 for three against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015. Sri Lanka then eclipsed England’s achievement by completing the historic chase.
The victory not only highlighted Sri Lanka’s batting strength but also underlined the importance of maintaining consistency and building a competitive team for future international tournaments.
As Sangakkara noted, the team’s next challenge is to turn this historic success into a foundation for sustained progress, with preparations for the next World Cup requiring careful planning and continued development.
