Eoin Morgan's brutal 148 flattens Afghanistan
The England captain smashed 17 of his side's 25 sixes and handed Afghanistan their fifth successive loss
The England captain smashed 17 of his side's 25 sixes and handed Afghanistan their fifth successive loss
Scorer: @Thilak_Rama | Commentator: Alan Gardner
6.35pm: Okay, that's your lot for this one. Sheriff Morgan and his six-shooter laid down the law at Old Trafford today, and sent his team riding off into the sunset with the points. Afghanistan battled admirably, and have some plusses to take into their next match against India (gulp!), but this was as comprehensive as results come. We'll have Danyal's report on the site soon, and join us again tomorrow for a real crunch clash, New Zealand v South Africa at Edgbaston, a game around which the whole tournament could pivot. From myself, Varun and Thilak, it's goodbye for now!
6.25pm: Time for the captains, starting with Gulbadin Naib: "Yeah, obviously how they played, [Morgan's was] one of the best innings I ever seen. Our plan when we saw the wicket, different to the last four games, it suited the spinners and Mujeeb did a good job. Unfortunately Rashid was expensive, not at his best, so England scored around 400. We did a lot of good things but we dropped Morgan, so this is the main point for us. We work hard in every department and are improving day by day, but we have work to do. [Attempting to chase?] Big target but our message was play your normal game, don't think about win or lose, play the 50 overs. Maybe we then have a chance. We played 50 overs, so that's a good thing for our batters."
Morgan is back for more: "Our next two three games are crucial. Want to bring our intensity to every game, we were at the top of four game today. If we can bring that to Headingley against Sri Lanka, then we go on to play Australia in good form. I think the intensity can still be there, you can still produce mistakes. [Dropped catches?] We did spill a couple of catches, which can happen, hopefully it doesn't continue. But I can't fault the guys. [Archer and Wood?] Throw Stokes in there, bowling 90mph as well as the moment. Having guys competing that level is amazing."
6.15pm: England go top of the table, while Afghanistan stay rooted to the bottom. There was a mini pitch invasion at the end there, with one Afghan fan taking a selfie with some of the England players, apparently. They are just happy to be there - and happy their side batted through a full 50 overs, which is a decent milestone for them, giving they had a snowball's chance in hell of making 398. It was a decent outing for the England captain, too, amid a record-breaking deluge of sixes - fittingly, Morgan's 148 was pretty much the margin between the sides.
For that knock, Eoin Morgan is named Man of the Match: "Today was a fantastic day for us, and I managed to have a day out, which was great,. The wicket was good, we bowled well in the first ten overs, our openers batted really. A good day all round. I didn't think it was going to be my day. Hobbling around with a bad back, didn't think I'd produce an innings like that. Makes it a bit more special when i can compete with the youngsters in the side. It was nice. It started out as a tough game, Afghanistan are a side with potential, so it's nice to do it on the big stage. [Used to play more funky shots?] I think I have changed, everybody plays the shots I started my career with, so that they're not as effective. I'm probably stronger down the ground now than I ever have been. [Back okay now?] Yeah, tomorrow's going to be a rough day."
They can't be bowled out now, either...
Dawlat Zadran comes out for the last two balls
Rashid Khan c Bairstow b Archer 8 (19m 13b 1x4 0x6) SR: 61.53
One more over. Afghanistan are almost there
Spectator was heavily apprehended after running on the field at the end of England v Afghanistan match at Old Trafford
Batsman content with unglamorous remit as Eoin Morgan steals the show at Old Trafford
The England captain broke the record for the most sixes in an ODI, while the Afghanistan legspinner returned the worst-ever World Cup figures
Here's how our ball-by-ball commentators saw it as Eoin Morgan cracked 17 sixes out of 25 overall
His teammates talk of his unflappable nature; his calm on good day and bad; his ability to relieve the pressure and unleash their natural talent