Captain Eoin Morgan’s 71-ball 148 along with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow’s half-centuries fired England to their highest World Cup total during their clash against Afghanistan on Tuesday, 18 June.
Opener Bairstow smashed 90 off 99 balls while Joe Root added 88 as the hosts posted 397/6 in their 50 overs at Manchester.
Morgan went to the crease in the 30th over with England at 164-2 and raised the total to 359 before he was out in the 47th over. He smashed as many as 17 sixes against Afghanistan, breaking the record of most sixes in an ODI innings.
Also Read: England Skipper Eoin Morgan Creates Record for Most 6s in an ODI
Morgan, who had been a doubtful starter because of a back problem, raised his half century from 36 balls with a towering six – his fifth of the innings – off Mohammad Nabi in the 39th over and reached his century from 57 balls.
He beat Chris Gayle's record of 16 sixes in an ODI against Zimbabwe in the 2015 World Cup when he flat-batted Gulbadin Naib straight down the ground, but was caught in the deep on the next delivery from his opposing captain.
Morgan dominated a 189-run third-wicket partnership with Joe Root, who was 45 when his skipper arrived at the crease and was eventually out for 88 from 82 deliveries.
Some poor fielding cost Afghanistan, none more than the dropped catch when Morgan was on 28. He pulled Rashid Khan out to deep midwicket, where Dawlat Zadran got one hand to the ball before it trickled to the boundary.
Morgan hit two more sixes in the over, and barely seemed to stop clearing the boundary in a game involving the tournament's highest and lowest-ranked teams.
He took 22 off one over against Rashid and generally dismantled Afghanistan's best bowler, who conceded the worst-ever figures in a World Cup of 0-110 from nine overs.
Moeen Ali hit the 25th six of the innings on the penultimate ball as England beat its own record for most sixes in an ODI innings.
Morgan and Jason Roy didn't bat last week in the eight-wicket win over West Indies because of injuries, with the skipper leaving the field with spasms and the opening batsman going off after tearing his left hamstring. Morgan recovered but Roy was ruled out of the two games this week.
Roy's replacement, James Vince, scored 26 in a 44-run opening stand with Jonny Bairstow, who contributed 90 from 99 balls in a 120-run second-wicket stand with Root before he was caught-and-bowled by Afghanistan captain Gulbadin in the 30th over.
(With inputs from AP)