CWC 2019: ENG vs AFG Review – Morgan’s assault blows Afghanistan away
Very rarely do you witness history being created on the field, which leaves you gasping for air and in sheer awe. For the spectators at Old Trafford in Manchester and the millions watching at home, they truly witnessed a moment in time. England skipper Eoin Morgan, suffering from a bad back before the game and passing a late fitness test, played the knock of his life to leave the spectators standing on their feet. His devastating knock meant that England almost became the first team to register a score of 400 on the board during the tournament, again displaying the full might of their batting lineup. The total would prove too much for Afghanistan, who despite putting up their best batting performance of the tournament, ended up losing the match by 150 runs. This leaves them firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, while England move to the top with 8 points in 5 games.
Bairstow and Root lay the foundation
Missing the talismanic Jason Roy, England did not have the rapid start which we generally associate them with. Instead, Jonny Bairstow and James Vince adopted the cautious approach, treating each and every ball on its merit. The opening partnership of 44 calmed any nerves there would have been. Once Vince was dismissed for 26, the in-form Joe Root walked in and the tempo slowly but steadily picked up. Their partnership of 120 laid the foundation for the carnage which would soon follow. Bairstow’s knock of 90 in 99 deliveries was one of his more subdued ones but ensured that his team did not feel the large void which has been left by Roy’s injury.
Morgan leaves Old Trafford in awe
As soon as Morgan walked in, the intent was visibly clear on his face. But no one could have predicted that they would witness one of the greatest ODI knocks of all-time. Every time the ball left the bat, the sound of the whack was clearly audible as the ball sailed over the ropes. Morgan left a trail of destruction, not sparing any bowlers, as he was seeing the ball like a football. He would hit a record 17 sixes in his innings, with only 4 fours. He was the dominant batter in his humongous partnership of 189 with Root, contributing 142 runs. By the time he was dismissed for 148 off only 71 deliveries, Afghanistan were staring down the barrel fretting the absolute worst. Joe Root also played a handy knock of 88, while Moeen Ali smoked 31 off 9 deliveries to ensure that England ended up with the score of 397/6. Rashid Khan, in particular, had a terrible day, conceding 110 runs without a wicket in 9 overs.
Afghani batters show some grit
Credit to the Afghanistan batters. Though they would never have a realistic chance of chasing down such a massive total, they did not let their guards down and showed some fight. Many would have expected them to skittle out against the pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, but for a large part of the innings, they negotiated the English seamers and spinners quite well. After losing Noor Ali Zadran for a duck, skipper Gulbadin Naib promoting himself as an opener, launched an assault. He gave the English bowlers some jitters in his cameo knock of 37. The middle order, which had been poor throughout the tournament also showed great resilience. Rahmat Shah slugged it out in his gritty knock of 46. Former captain Asghar Afghan also showed what made him a great leader in his innings of 44. But Hashmatullah Shahidi was the star of the show, playing an innings of great substance with 76 off 100 deliveries. In the end, Afghanistan managed to post a total of 247/8 on the board, losing the match by 150 runs. For England, the big positive was Adil Rashid finally finding some form, picking up 3 wickets in his spell.
