Harry Brook, the England captain, has been hailed as a 'genius' and a future 'great' of the game after scoring the fastest double century in the history of ODI cricket. The 27-year-old blasted 202 from just 116 balls in a stunning display of hitting as England piled on 429-4 against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.
England were 85-2 in the 16th over when Brook walked to the middle, and the Yorkshireman proceeded to hit 21 fours and 10 sixes in one of the great white-ball innings. Brook not only became the first England player to make a double century in one-day cricket but broke the record for the fastest double ton in ODI history, surpassing India's Shubman Gill by three balls.
A Record-Breaking Innings
Remarkably, Brook had only 13 runs from his first 24 balls but still reached his century in 75 deliveries. He then went from 100 to 200 in just 39 balls.
'The England captain will take a well earned drink and a shower, but not before he gets a pat on the back from every single member of England's touring side,' Mark Butcher said on Sky Sports. 'I was a little taken aback when Kusal Mendis elected to bowl on a pretty flat pitch. Now, with 430 on the board, that looks even more ridiculous. Sometimes your breath is taken away by what you're watching with Brook. Such is his precision, he can manoeuvre the ball wherever he wants. He can play a shot for pretty much every delivery.'
Praise from Former Captains
Former England captain Nasser Hussain hailed Brook as the 'best multi-format batter in the world' and compared him to West Indies legend Brian Lara.
'One of the commentators said Harry Brook is "touched by genius" and that's exactly right,' Hussain said. 'We have seen it from Harry Brook since he got into an England shirt. If you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. He said in between games that we haven't gone hard enough. That was just magical. Brook is the best male multi-format batter in the world. If he can keep this up, he can make England a possible side that can win the World Cup in 2027. They do need genius, and that's what this lad is.'
Hussain added: 'I was unlucky enough to be in the field when Brian Lara got 375 and 401 in Antigua. Every time we moves a fielder, Lara would hit it to where he moved him from. In white-ball cricket, it's even harder because of the fielding restrictions. He has the power to hit it anywhere.'
Future Great
Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara continued the praise of Brook, describing him as a future 'great' of the game.
'He's going to be a great,' Sangakkara said. 'What we saw today was a clinical display of just genius ODI batting – brilliant reading of the game. The repertoire of shots is just phenomenal.'
As well as boasting the record for the fastest ODI double century, Brook also averages more than 50 in Test cricket with ten tons.
Brook found support from Will Jacks, who blasted 66 from 30 balls as the pair put on 185 in 79 deliveries until Brook fell to the final ball of the innings. Earlier, England Test captain Joe Root and opener Tom Banton had both made fifties, with Ben Duckett the only batter to miss out with 29.
