Stats: Eoin Morgan breaks MS Dhoni's record of most International sixes as captain

Eoin Morgan couldn’t guide England to a whitewash against Ireland on Tuesday but his century surely helped the home team to reach a dignified total. Walking to bat at 14/2, Morgan took the aggressive route as England touched run-rate of six by 11th over despite being three wickets down. The left-hander struck seven fours and two sixes on his way to a 39-ball fifty while he found some good support from Tom Banton.

Eoin Morgan took 39 balls with nine boundaries including two sixes for his 2nd fifty; same as the many he needed for scoring his first 50 runs. He finished with an 84-ball 106 and England reached 190/4 in only 27th over. However, a collapse that followed saw them settle with 328, a total which was not enough to see of an English victory. But on his way to a century, Morgan did script a world record in terms of hitting sixes.

The first of the four sixes Morgan smashed on Tuesday extended his tally of sixes as England captain in International cricket to 212. Morgan’s six through a pull shot in the bowling of Joshua Little helped the England skipper to break the record of most sixes as captain in international cricket. MS Dhoni, who struck 211 sixes as the Indian captain, has been holding this record for more than six years. Dhoni earned the record during the 2014 tour of New Zealand when he went past Ricky Ponting’s 171 sixes.

Brendon McCullum is the only other to smash over 150 sixes in International cricket as captain. The former New Zealand skipper finished with 170 sixes, only one behind Ponting’s tally. AB de Villiers occupies 5th place in this list having struck 135 sixes. Eoin Morgan, till date, has struck 215 sixes in International cricket as England captain but none of them came in the longer format.

Morgan has hit 144 sixes in ODI cricket and 71 sixes in T20I cricket; the highest for any individual as captain in both formats. Morgan’s 215 sixes came in only 163 matches which is less than half of Dhoni’s 332 appearances.

Considering Morgan’s age and the frequency of the limited over international matches going to be held in next few years, the England captain could easily become the first captain to smash 300 sixes in International cricket in service.

(Stats as on August 4, 2020)