Blistering Morgan smashes record 17 sixes as England thrash Afghanistan in World Cup
A TOTAL of 17 times the ball soared into space and over the boundary. Yes, cricket balls really can fly.
Eoin Morgan’s prodigious hitting in the World Cup yesterday was one of the most clinical and destructive performances of all time.
He became the first man in history to strike 17 sixes in an international innings. That’s 17 x 6 = 102. What a way to score a century!
In total, Morgan pulverised his way to 148 from 71 deliveries at Old Trafford just four days after limping off the field with a back spasm.
Last Friday evening, Morgan was in so much pain he could not sit down. Now he had us all out of our seats.
England’s white ball captain exceeded the great hitters in history such as Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers.
Those two, plus Rohit Sharma of India, held the previous record of 16 sixes in a 50-over innings.
Morgan’s total also beat the most sixes in a Test match and a Twenty20 international. He hit only four fours.
When Afghanistan’s bowlers pitched up the ball, Morgan launched it straight and long. When they landed short, the left-hander hammered the ball into the crowd at mid-wicket.
The hapless Afghans were defenceless with the ball and their fielding was hopeless. But nothing can deny the purity and power of Morgan’s striking.
KHAN'S UNWANTED TON
Rashid Khan, the world’s No1 ranked bowler in Twenty20 cricket, was subjected to particularly brutal punishment and his nine overs went for 110 runs, including eleven sixes.
England’s total of 25 sixes broke their own ODI team record of 24 against West Indies in Grenada earlier this year. England won here by 150 runs.
Morgan confirmed he was fit to play only after waking up with no ill-effects of his session in the Old Trafford indoor nets on Monday. Then he scored just one run from his first seven deliveries.
But a six from a free hit after Afghan captain Gulbadin Naib overstepped set Morgan on his way. The next ball went for six, too, and so did many more.
Morgan would have been out for 28 (off 26 balls) if Dawlat Zadran had not made a mess of a skied chance at deep mid-wicket
You could say it was costly because Morgan contributed 120 from his next 45 deliveries.
His century arrived from 57 balls and only Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow have made quicker ones for England.
After Morgan chose to bat, Bairstow scored 90 with ever-increasing fluency and Joe Root worked the ball around for 88 but they were overshadowed by Morgan.
MO BLOWS
James Vince, making his World Cup debut in place of the injured Jason Roy, reached 26 stylishly enough before being caught - pretty much the story of his England career.
Moeen applied the finishing touches by hitting four of his nine balls for six and England’s total of 397-6 was their highest in World Cup history, surpassing the 386-6 they made against Bangladesh two games ago.
England have now won four of their five matches and victory against Sri Lanka at Headingley on Friday will leave them on the brink of qualification for the semi-finals.
Afghanistan fielded as though their shoelaces were tied together, they were wearing blindfolds and each player had one arm in a sling. They must have made at least 15 errors.
They made no attempt to reach their target when they batted, settling instead for middle practice and some sort of respectability.
Mark Wood flattened left-hander Hashmatullah Shahidi with an 88mph short ball that crashed into the helmet.
It was a nasty-looking blow but, after treatment and seemingly passing the concussion protocols, the batsman was able to continue.
The blow seemed to spark Hasmatullah into life. In Wood’s next over, he cross-batted a bouncer, tennis-style, and the ball went for six over long-on.
ENGLAND STILL FAVOURITES
It was just as remarkable a shot as any of Morgan’s maximums.
Hasmatullah went on to make 76 and 52 of those came from the 46 deliveries he faced after being sconed.
The Afghans have been disappointing in this tournament and rarely brought the expected smile because there has been politicking and arguing in the camp.
It seems they also argued with some members of the public in a curry restaurant on Monday evening when some players apparently took exception to being filmed
The police were called but no arrests were made.
Afghanistan might be so-called "minnows" but they are a Test nation now and should be subjected to the same scrutiny as other teams.
England march on, having now registered the first, second and sixth-highest totals of the tournament. They remain favourites and rightly so.