England hand Afghanistan 150-run thumping

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.

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.

Joe Root and Johnny Bairstow (Below) played supporting roles scoring 88 and 90 runs respectively as England piled on 397 runs which included a world record 25 sixes in an ODI against Afghanistan during their World Cup group stage match at Old Trafford on Tuesday. England won by 150 runs. Photo: Reuters

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.

Photo: Reuters

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.”

Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib saluted Morgan, saying: “It was one of the best innings I’ve ever seen from Eoin so congratulations to him.

“We did a lot of good things in the field but we dropped Morgan, which is the main point of his innings and how he then utilised it.”

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 Naib for a flat straight hit over his head.

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.

The umpire who awarded England six runs from a freak overthrow in the last over of the World Cup final has admitted he made an "error" and should have given one run fewer, a report said Sunday.

A throw to the stumps deflected off the bat of a diving Ben Stokes as he tried to complete a second run and raced to the boundary, with Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena awarding six. Three balls later the scores at 50 overs were tied as England reached 241 all out replying to New Zealand's 241-8. It took the nail-biting final to a Super Over which again was tied but England lifted the trophy by virtue of having scored more boundaries. 

Critics, including former leading umpire Simon Taufel, said England should have been awarded five runs, not six, as the batsmen had not crossed for the second run at the moment the ball was thrown.

Former Sri Lankan Test player Dharmasena told the Sunday Times he did not have the benefit of television replays which showed the batsmen had not crossed.

"I agree that there was an error of judgement when I see it on TV replays now," Dharmasena, who was umpiring the final with South Africa's Marais Erasmus, told the local Sunday Times. "But we did not have the luxury of TV replays at the ground and I do not regret the decision I made."

Dharmasena said he signalled six after consulting the other match officials. "So, I did consult the leg umpire (Erasmus) through the communication system which is heard by all other umpires and the match referee," he told the newspaper.

"While they cannot check TV replays, they all confirmed that the batsmen have completed the second run. This is when I made my decision."

Taufel had told Fox Sports Australia the umpires made a "clear mistake" as the batsmen had not crossed for their second run.

But the Australian also defended the match umpires, who he said had to make a complicated judgement, and said it would be "unfair" to say the decision altered the outcome of the tournament as it was impossible to now what would have happened in the final balls had five been awarded.

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott hopes Sunday's World Cup win over England will "encourage boys and girls" to take up cricket even though the country's Taliban rulers ban women from playing sport.

The 69-run victory will be regarded as one of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament as Afghanistan ended a 14-match World Cup losing streak.

"It's not just cricket that the guys are playing for," said Trott, who recognised the significance of a win for a nation reeling from recent earthquakes and the Taliban's fractious international relations.

"The guys are very knowledgeable of the things and the hardship that some people are going through because of the natural disaster and for various other reasons.

"And so, if this can give a smile to people's faces but also encourage boys and girls to pick up a cricket bat or a cricket ball and get playing cricket wherever they are in Afghanistan, then that's the sort of the goal that's been achieved."

Before Sunday, Afghanistan had only won one match at the World Cup when they defeated Scotland on their 2015 debut.

They lost all nine matches they played at the 2019 tournament in England, including a 150-run rout at the hands of the hosts.

But having scored 284 on Sunday thanks to dashing opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz's blistering 80 and Ikram Alikhil's 58, Afghanistan's bowlers set to work.

Only Harry Brook with 66 showed any real defiance while spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claimed three wickets each as England were dismissed for 215.

- 'Knock-on effect' -

The result left both sides with a win and two losses each after three games of the 10-nation tournament.

"This win is significant, certainly in the manner and by the margin as well," added Trott.

"There's a lot of confidence that will hopefully come from this, it'll have a knock-on effect to all the other games, but not only in this World Cup, but for the future as well."

Trott knows all about World Cup shocks. In 2011, he was part of the England team humbled by Ireland in Bengaluru despite him scoring 92.

"That's the beauty of the World Cup, isn't it? That's what cricket's about, it pushes and pulls you so much emotionally as a player and as a coach.

"But we can compete with anybody in the world."

Next up for Afghanistan are New Zealand who have three wins from three games including seeing off England in the tournament opener.

New Zealand, runners-up at the last two World Cups, will be favourites.

Trott, however, believes that his players' exposure to the international game through Twenty20 franchise cricket has only served to bolster Afghanistan self-belief.

"I think the fact that a lot of our players have played with the English players in franchise cricket, they get to know the ins and outs of each player so there's that familiarity and also the confidence," he explained.

"Sometimes I think when you see big Test playing nations you sort of hold them in high regard. I think playing with players like that you see that they are human and you are just as entitled to win."