Picture by Sameer Ali/Getty Images. Harry Brook leaves the field in Rawalpindi to acclaim this afternoon.
Harry Brook, he’s one of our own! It’s a chant you will hear on the terraces of football grounds up and down the land. But now is as good a time as any to sing it from the rooftops that this special batting talent is very much made in Yorkshire.
Burley-in-Wharfedale star Brook, 27, has just broken a couple of notable one-day international records thanks to a quite remarkable 202 off 116 balls for England against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.
In doing so this afternoon, he became England’s first batter to post an ODI double century and recorded the fastest ever double century by any batter in the world, this off 114 balls.
In all, the national white-ball skipper hit 21 fours and 14 sixes to underpin a total of 429-4, also an England record.
“He is touched with genius when it comes to batting,” said former England opener Mark Butcher whilst on commentary duties for Sky Sports.
“The guy is absolutely box office.”
Brook’s assault on the beleaguered Sri Lankans also took him beyond 7,000 international runs across all formats and beyond 14,000 for all sides, including his beloved White Rose county.
Of course, it was in Pakistan (Multan) where he hit a brilliant Test best of 317 against Pakistan in October 2024.
Picture by Sameer Ali/Getty Images. Harry Brook celebrates reaching his 200 with Will Jacks. The pair shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 185 against Sri Lanka today.
Brook became the 11th man in the history of one-day international cricket to post a double century, with two women also having achieved the same feat in Amelia Kerr for New Zealand and Belinda Clark for Australia.
It is well worth taking a closer look at the men’s list, which is headed by Indian opener Rohit Sharma with 264 off 173 against Sri Lanka at Kolkata back in November 2014.
Sharma has actually achieved the feat on three occasions, while his compatriot Shubman Gill has done it twice. Incidentally, Gill held the previous record for the fastest ODI double ton, off 117 balls.
Martin Guptill, Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle, Fakhar Zaman, Pathum Nissanka, Ishan Kishan, Glenn Maxwell and former Yorkshire overseas Sachin Tendulkar make up the 200 club list.
Sri Lanka have now been on the receiving end three times, so too the West Indies.
While Ben Stokes hit 182 for England against New Zealand at The Kia Oval in September 2023, Sir Viv Richards is a notable name with a couple of near misses.
He has a 189 not out and a 181 to his name.
The 189 came against England at Emirates Old Trafford in May 1984.
Picture by Sameer Ali/Getty Images). Yorkshire superstar Harry Brook on the drive for England in Rawalpindi today.
Kiwi opener Guptill also hit 189 not out against England at Utilita Bowl in June 2013.
No one has scored more against England.
