Harry Brook scores unbeaten 114 as England beat Sri Lanka by 119 runs in first T20I

England skipper Harry Brook

Ben Stokes has heaped praise on Harry Brook after the England white-ball captain produced another breathtaking T20I innings against Sri Lanka, even suggesting that the young batter's talent surpasses that of Kevin Pietersen. Brook smashed an unbeaten 114 off just 49 balls in the first T20I in Southampton, striking 10 fours and six sixes at a remarkable strike rate of 232.65. His assault helped England post 254/4 before they bowled Sri Lanka out for 135 in 19 overs to win by 119 runs. Stokes, who has played alongside Brook for England, took to X to express his admiration for the 27-year-old's ability.

Ben Stokes post

“I don’t even think the genius of KP could come close to what Harry Brook has talent-wise. “Is it really that hard to just sit back and admire these players for what they are, on the good days and the bad days, and stop berating them for doing things that we would never, ever, ever even think of doing because we simply aren’t on their level to think that way? “You are an absolute freak, Harry. “You’re mint to watch.” Stokes later followed up his post to clarify that his comparison was not intended as a slight on Pietersen. “Bit harsh on KP actually both are freak talents but Brook better IMO is my point,” he wrote.

Brook's numbers at No. 3 tell the story

Brook's latest innings continued a remarkable run since he moved to No. 3 in the T20I format. The shift came after an indifferent campaign at this year's T20 World Cup, but the change in position has since brought a significant turnaround. In eight T20I innings at No. 3, Brook has accumulated 476 runs at an average of 95.20 and a strike rate of 200.84. He has two centuries and two fifties during that run. His latest hundred also saw Brook join Jos Buttler as the second Englishman to score multiple centuries in all three international formats. Brook now has two T20I centuries, 10 Test hundreds and three ODI tons. Buttler remains the other England player to achieve the feat, with two Test centuries, 11 ODI hundreds and two T20I tons.

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The list of players with multiple centuries across all three international formats also includes India's Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, Pakistan's Babar Azam, West Indies great Chris Gayle, New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill, and South Africa's Quinton de Kock. Brook's latest hundred was his second in T20Is. In 69 matches for England, he has now scored 1,646 runs in 60 innings at an average of 36.57 and a strike rate of 164.10, with two centuries and eight fifties. Against Sri Lanka, Brook was at the heart of another dominant England batting display. Jos Buttler provided the perfect support with 80 off 44 balls, including eight fours and three sixes, as the pair combined to power England to 254/4. Sri Lanka never came close to mounting a serious chase. Sonny Baker led England's attack with 3/12 from four overs, while Jamie Overton returned 2/20 and Liam Dawson took 2/23. Sri Lanka were eventually dismissed for 135 in the 19th over.

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