Sri Lanka chase down 430 to beat England by two wickets in Rawalpindi tri-series ODI

A new record was set in the third match of the tri-series being played in Pakistan. Sri Lanka chased down a massive target of 430 against England at the Rawalpindi stadium and won by two wickets.

England lost the toss and were made to bat first. The side kept the runs coming from the start. Tom Banton contributed 50, while Joe Root added 69 to steady the innings. After both were dismissed, captain Harry Brook took charge and batted aggressively against the Sri Lankan bowlers. Brook played a superb innings of 202. Thanks to his double century, England posted 429 for 4 in 50 overs.

In the chase of 430, Avishka Fernando gave Sri Lanka a strong start. He fell three runs short of a century, out for 97. Pavan Rathnayake then took up the responsibility and played an innings of 130. His batting kept Sri Lanka's hopes of victory alive.

After Rathnayake, Dasun Shanaka also made an important contribution. He missed out on a century and returned to the pavilion on 97. His dismissal added to Sri Lanka's difficulties, as the team needed to score quickly and wickets kept falling.

In the closing stage, Janith Liyanage became the hero of Sri Lanka's win. He played an unbeaten innings of 61 off just 27 balls, ending England's hopes of victory. His aggressive batting turned the match. Sri Lanka finally made 430 for 8 in 49.5 overs and recorded a historic win.

It is the second-largest successful chase by any team in the history of one-day cricket. South Africa top the list, having made 435 against Australia in Johannesburg in 2006. Second is Sri Lanka's chase of 430 against England in Rawalpindi in 2026. India are third, having made 406 against the West Indies in Guwahati in 2026. Next is the Netherlands' chase of 375 against the West Indies in Harare in 2023, a match won in a Super Over. Fifth is South Africa's chase of 372 against Australia in Durban in 2016.