Eoin Morgan of England hit his century in 57 balls against Afghanistan on Tuesday, breaking the record for the fastest century by an England batsman in the history of the World Cup. He finally went out on 148 off 71 balls, getting caught in the deep.
Morgan hit 17 sixes in his innings, also breaking the record for the most number of sixes by a batsman in an ODI innings. He hit four boundaries. The previous record for the most number of sixes in an ODI innings was 16 – held jointly by Rohit Sharma, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.
Morgan’s 17 sixes in an innings is the most by an England batsman in a World Cup match by far. Before this tournament, David Gower (9) held the record for most sixes by an England player in World Cup history.
This was also the fourth fastest century by any batsman in the history of the World Cup. There have been only three centuries hit in fewer balls – the 50-ball century by Kevin O’ Brien in the 2011 World Cup, the 51-ball century by Glenn Maxwell and the 52-ball one by AB de Villiers in the 2015 World Cup.
England hit 25 sixes in their innings. This is the most by any team in any ODI innings. The previous record was 24 sixes, also hit by England, vs West Indies earlier this year.
Morgan has also raced ahead in the race for the most sixes at the 2019 World Cup. He has hit 22 sixes in the tournament now, with Aaron Finch (14 sixes) in second place on this list.