ICC World Cup 2019: Morgan sets new sixes record as England thrash Afghanistan

England captain Morgan set a new world record for most sixes in a one-day international innings.

MANCHESTER (Dunya News/AFP) – England captain Eoin Morgan set a new world record of 17 sixes in an individual one-day international innings as the World Cup hosts thrashed Afghanistan by 150 runs on Tuesday.

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Victory at Old Trafford saw favourites England go ahead of holders Australia to sit top of the World Cup group table on net run-rate.

Morgan s six-hitting spree in his career-best 148 set the tone for England s team total of 25 sixes, which was also a new ODI innings record.

The Dubliner s innings, which featured 118 runs in boundaries, was all the more impressive as Morgan had been doubtful for this match with a back spasm suffered in England s win over the West Indies, in which he could not bat.

"I m getting quite old, running around with a bad back, I never thought in my wildest dreams I d produce an innings like that!" Morgan said.

"I had an extremely bad back after the last game but our medical staff have done wonders with medication and extensive treatment. I have pretty much been living with the physio.

"It was a special day. It s the World Cup. We re loving playing in it. On the big stage, it is nice to do."

Morgan s masterclass was the centrepiece of England s 397-6. That was the highest total of the tournament so far and the largest England had made at any World Cup, surpassing their 386-6 against Bangladesh in Cardiff 10 days ago.

Even though bottom of the table Afghanistan, suffering their fifth defeat in five matches, posted their highest World Cup total of 247-8 they were never up with the required run-rate. "We are where we want to be. The next two or three games are pretty crucial," Morgan said of England s World Cup hopes. "We want to bring our level of intensity to every game. Making that a priority is important to us."

Hashmatullah Shahidi completed a gutsy 68-ball fifty on his way to 76, while his fourth-wicket stand of partnership of 94 with Ashgar Afghan (44) was a record for any Afghanistan wicket at a World Cup. Earlier, Morgan, dropped on 28, dominated a third-wicket stand of 189 with Joe Root (88), whose contribution to their partnership was a mere 43.

Afghanistan star leg-spinner Rashid Khan set an unwanted record with 0-110 in nine overs -- the most expensive return at a World Cup and second costliest in all ODI cricket.

Morgan s tally surpassed the record of 16 sixes in an ODI innings previously shared by India s Rohit Sharma, South Africa s AB de Villiers and West Indies  Chris Gayle. He broke the record when he launched Gulbadin Naib for a flat straight hit over the Afghanistan captain s head.

Impressive Morgan

But the very next ball saw Morgan hole out off Naib to end a 71-ball innings that also featured four fours. Jonny Bairstow had got England off to a solid start, with England accelerating after James Vince fell for 26 when he mishooked paceman Dawlat Zadran to short fine-leg. In sight of his eighth ODI century, Bairstow s 99-ball innings ended when he chipped a return catch to Naib.

Morgan, after an early mix-up that saw him sent back and get tangled up with opposing skipper Naib, settled in quickly. He hit Naib for two sixes including a fine drive over long-on. But the left-hander should have been out when he skied Rashid, only for Zadran at deep midwicket to make such a mess of the catch that the ball bounced out of his hands and over the rope for four.

Root was denied a second successive hundred and third of the tournament when he holed out off Naib, whose 3-68 was a creditable return in the circumstances.

But the sixes kept coming, Morgan s 11th bringing up a hundred in 57 balls, with only Ireland s Kevin O Brien, Australia s Glenn Maxwell and South Africa s AB de Villiers having scored faster centuries at a World Cup.

England set the ODI team record for sixes when Moeen Ali launched the penultimate delivery of the innings, from Zadran, over long-on. Afghanistan: Noor Ali Zadran, Gulbadin Naib (capt), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Dawlat Zadran

England: Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood.