Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin on Friday praised Sri Lanka's remarkable run chase against England in the Pakistan ODI Tri-Series 2026, describing the pursuit of 400 runs as something that seemed completely unreal in modern cricket. Azharuddin also lauded England batter Harry Brook's outstanding double century and emphasised the need to promote Test cricket alongside the shorter formats.
Azharuddin said Sri Lanka's determination to keep fighting despite England's massive total was commendable, and the high-scoring contest provided excellent entertainment for cricket fans. He acknowledged that while such extraordinary chases remained rare in ODI cricket, they demonstrated the evolving nature of the sport.
“To me, 400 seems completely unreal, but nowadays cricket has become like this. But I congratulate the Sri Lankan team very much because they kept hope that we too can win, we too can make that much of a score. Otherwise, if you give up hope, then such a score isn’t made. But Harry Brook also played very well, I congratulate him as well. But this was a very good match, I mean it was entertainment. It was very good entertainment for the public," Azharuddin was quoted as saying by The News Mill.
Azharuddin hails Sri Lanka's fighting spirit and Brook's record knock
Reflecting on the magnitude of Sri Lanka's achievement, the former India captain referred to South Africa's historic successful chase against Australia in 2006, noting that such extraordinary run chases remained rare in ODI cricket.
"But chasing 400, I think this is probably happening for the second time. Before this, there was a match between South Africa and Australia, it happened back then. But it is good for cricket; people come and enjoy, as much as people enjoy, they should," Azharuddin added.
Test cricket deserves greater promotion, says Azharuddin
Azharuddin stressed that while high-scoring matches and aggressive batting had become increasingly common in modern cricket, the traditional Test format should continue to receive attention and encouragement. He expressed his views on the balance between shorter formats and the longer game during his comments on the high-scoring ODI contest.
"But I would like to say that Test cricket should also be promoted. Test cricket is the main... the main format of cricket is the Test format, Test cricket," he said.
