Morgan’s 17 sixes highlights England World Cup record day

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Eoin Morgan set the tone for England’s record sixathon when he slogged a free hit for six and followed it up by clearing the boundary over long-on off the very next delivery from his opposing captain Gulbadin Naib.

Morgan showed no signs of the backache that threatened his involvement in the Cricket World Cup group game on Tuesday as he launched a one-day international record 17 sixes into the sellout crowd at Old Trafford.

His 148 runs propelled England to 397-6 against Afghanistan.

The 17 sixes are the most by a batsman in a one-day international, beating the previous record by one shared by three others.

Morgan equaled Chris Gayle’s World Cup record of 16 sixes in 2015 for West Indies against Zimbabwe with a six over long-on to move to 142, and went one better when he flat-batted a Gulbadin Naib delivery straight back over the bowler’s head and into the rope. The TV umpire confirmed it was six, and umpire Paul Reiffel held up both arms to confirm it.

When the left-hander tried to go down the ground again on the next ball, he managed to only hit it directly to Rahmat Shah at long-off.

Morgan walked off in the 47th over with the team total on 21 sixes, leaving allrounder Moeen Ali to finish off the job when he cleared the rope four times from the nine balls he faced in an unbeaten 31.

The 25 sixes are the most in an ODI by any team, beating England’s own previous record of 24 this year against the West Indies in Grenada.

Morgan’s 22 sixes so far in this World Cup also are second on the all-time list to Gayle’s 26 in the 2015 tournament.

Morgan had a reprieve when he was dropped on 28 on the midwicket boundary, and went on to reach a century in 57 balls, the fourth fastest in World Cup history. The fastest was 50 balls in 2011 by Kevin O’Brien of Ireland against England.

Morgan came to the crease in the 30th over and departed in the 47th, having exploded the total from 164-2 to 359-4. The end total of 397-6 was England’s highest in any World Cup, the highest at this World Cup so far, and the sixth highest in all World Cups.

It was also a ground record for Old Trafford, breaking India’s two-day-old record of 336-5 against Pakistan.

The highest World Cup total is 417-6 by Australia against Afghanistan in Perth en route to the title in 2015.