Sri Lankan batter Poon Rathanayake has expressed his delight after Sri Lanka successfully chased down a historic target against England, saying the entire team was thrilled with the remarkable achievement.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, Rathanayake said the Sri Lankan batters approached the chase with a positive mindset and remained focused on pursuing the target. He also praised the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch, saying it appeared to become better for batting during the second innings and was well suited to one-day cricket.
Rathanayake played a starring role in the historic victory, scoring an impressive 130 runs as Sri Lanka chased down England’s massive target.
England had set Sri Lanka a target of 430 runs, which the Sri Lankan side successfully reached in the final over. The result also made Sri Lanka the first Asian team to chase a target of more than 400 runs.
Earlier, England captain Harry Brook said he would always prefer a match-winning innings over personal milestones and that a double century held little significance for him.
Brook had completed a double century from 114 balls against Sri Lanka, hitting 21 fours and 10 sixes during his remarkable innings.