Records tumble left, right and centre as England batsmen maul Afghanistan
It was an afternoon to remember for the English fans as captain Eoin Morgan and Co bludgeoned the Afghanistan bowlers at Old Trafford in Match 24 of the ongoing World Cup.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the hosts laid a decent platform before taking total control of the proceedings. Opening batsman Jonny Bairstow essayed a solid knock before falling prey to Gulbadin Naib at 90. However, the stadium was transformed into an absolute pandemonium once Eoin Morgan took charge at the crease. Joining Joe Root in the 30th over, the English skipper looked in a punishing mood right from the word go. Showing no mercy whatsoever, the southpaw smashed the Afghan bowlers to all parts of the park. Morgan took a special liking to the opposition's star bowler Rashid Khan, who had a nightmare with the ball, conceding 110 runs off his 9 overs.
Root and Morgan piled on the agony for the Asian side until the 47th over before the former was scalped at 88 by the Afghanistan skipper. After striking a breathtaking 148 off 71 deliveries, including 17 monstrous sixes, Morgan fell in the very same over to leave the score at 359-4. The innings was propelled towards the end by all-rounder Moeen Ali, who breathed fire at the crease to sparkle with a 9-ball-31*. Thanks to multiple blistering knocks, England amassed 397-6 in 50 overs to set a tall ask to Gulbadin Naib and his men.
Entertaining the fans to a great extent, the English batters left several records tumbling en route their stunning display. Here are some of the records that were shattered in the 1st innings of the game between England and Afghanistan:
Most number of sixes in a team ODI innings
25-England v Afghanistan (18 June 2019)
19-West Indies v Zimbabwe (2015)
18-South Africa v Netherlands (2007)
Most sixes in an individual ODI innings
17-Eoin Morgan v Afghanistan (18 June 2019)
16-Rohit Sharma v Australia (2013)
16-AB de Villiers v West Indies (2015)
Most sixes in an individual ODI innings for England
17-Eoin Morgan v Afghanistan (18 June 2019)
12-Jos Buttler v West Indies (2019)
09- Jos Buttler v Pakistan (2019)
Highest partnerships for England in World Cup history
189-Joe Root and Eoin Morgan v Afghanistan (18 June 2019)
176-Dennis Amiss and Keith Fletcher v India (1975)
172-Moeen Ali and Ian Bell (2015)