Morgan smashes sixes record as England amass 397/6
Manchester: Captain Eoin Morgan smashed a world record 17 sixes in his 71-ball-148, firing England to a gigantic 397 for 6 against Afghanistan in a World Cup game here on Tuesday.
Morgan, enroute his career-best knock, also hit the fourth fastest hundred in World Cup history, getting his 13th ODI hundred off only 57 balls. Apart from 17 sixes, the left-hander also hit four boundaries.
Morgan broke the record which was jointly held by Rohit Sharma (vs Australia 2013), AB de Villiers (vs West Indies, 2015) and Chris Gayle (16 vs Zimbabwe 2015).
Opener Jonny Bairstow (90 off 99 balls) and Joe Root (88 off 82 balls) also played their part but were overshadowed by the skipper who pulverised the hapless Afghan bowling attack.
Afghanistan's T20 superstar Rashid Khan got a reality check as he also had the ignominy of being hit for a 'hundred'. His bowling figures read a pathetic 9-0-110-0 with 11 sixes being hit off his bowling. Rashid's figures are the worst by any bowler in a World Cup game, beating New Zealand's Martin Snedden's 0/105 off 12 overs (60 overs per side) against England in the 1983 World Cup .
Morgan primarily targeted the arc between long-on and long-off and repeatedly dispatched the length balls in between these areas with a few straight sixes. He was particularly severe on Rashid, who till date has never been hit for more than two sixes in his innings.
The other IPL star Mohammed Nabi (0/70 in 9 overs) also got a pasting and so did Gulbadin Naib as Morgan and Root added 189 runs in 16.5 overs. In all, the English batsmen hit 25 sixes.
Even Moeen Ali had a little feast scoring 31 off 15 balls with four sixes.
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PM Modi speaks to Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, discusses West Asia situation
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss the West Asia situation and conveyed India's concerns.
During his telephonic conversation with Netanyahu, Modi emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority.
"Had a telephone call with PM Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the current regional situation. Conveyed India's concerns over recent developments and emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority. India reiterates the need for an early cessation of hostilities," Modi said in a post on 'X'.
The telephonic conversation took place in the wake of the attack on Iran by the US and Israel and the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran also fired a series of missiles towards Israel and several other West Asian countries.
Prime Minister Modi on Sunday night spoke to the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and strongly condemned the attacks on the Gulf nation, saying India stands in solidarity with the UAE in these difficult times.
Had a telephone call with PM Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the current regional situation. Conveyed India's concerns over recent developments and emphasised the safety of civilians as a priority. India reiterates the need for an early cessation of hostilities.@netanyahu
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 1, 2026
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