3 instances of captaincy masterstrokes by Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan changed the face of England's white-ball cricket. An aggressive captain on the field with his tactics, Morgan's leadership reflects his batting style. To get an idea of his impact, one can look at what former English skipper Nasser Hussain had to say about England's current leader:
"He is the most influential white-ball cricketer England has ever had."
Morgan has been in charge of white-ball cricket for England for seven-and-a-half years now. He scripted history in 2019 at Lord's by winning the ODI World Cup.
There were some doubts about the Irishman's ability to lead English cricket in his early days. However, over the years he has put all those concerns to bed with some masterful leadership skills. Here, we will take a look at a few of those instances.
#1 England's transformation in white-ball cricket post the 2015 World Cup debacle
England endured an extremely poor 2015 ODI World Cup campaign. Bangladesh upset them in the group stages to bring a premature end to their World Cup campaign Down Under. Throughout the course of the tournament, England won only two games against Scotland and Afghanistan.
Post the World Cup, Morgan fielded a new-look side branded with aggression and rock and roll cricket. They thrashed the Kiwis by 210 runs in the first game and breached the 350-mark thrice in the five-match series. England won the exciting series 3-2 at the end.
Over the next four years, England kept to their brand of cricket. A fine example was on display when they broke the world record for the most ODI runs in an innings by scoring 481 against arch-rivals Australia. (England have since broken that record by scoring 498 against The Netherlands earlier this month).
#NEDvENG 🏴
Incredible.
We break our own World Record with a score of 4️⃣9️⃣8️⃣
🇳🇱 #NEDvENG 🏴 https://t.co/oWtcfh2nsv
The clear, distinct style of play put fear out of the window for England and helped them cope with the pressure of hosting the World Cup in 2019. They delivered on their expectations by beating New Zealand in the final at Lord's.
#2 Decision to give the super over to Jofra Archer
The 2019 Cricket World Cup final was an intense game. With scores tied at the end, the match came down to a super over. England scored 14 runs after batting first and Morgan chose Jofra Archer to defend the total and thereby clinch the cup.
The decision was disputed at that point since Archer was less experienced than the likes of Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid. However, Morgan showed his trust in the young pacer and was rewarded six deliveries later with England's first World Cup triumph.
#3 Bowling changes in the 2021 T20 World Cup
The English skipper had opted to use Moeen Ali in most games as an opening bowler. However, he shuffled up the plans against Australia due to Aaron Finch's excellent record against off-spinners.
Morgan brought forth Adil Rashid. Although Rashid alone did not set the Aussie innings on fire, Morgan's plan hiccuped the Australian batting as was evidenced in how their innings panned out.
Morgan's Moeen Ali plan worked to great effect against West Indies. The Caribbean team had several left-handers higher up in the order. Morgan decided to let Ali bowl in the powerplay, which worked well in favor of England.
Morgan also opted to bring in Tymal Mills against the mighty Kiero Pollard due to the all-rounder's poor record against left-arm seamers.
