Top 5 knocks of Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan has been instrumental in the rise of the modern English white-ball team. He brought forth a brand of aggressive cricket in the English side that has seen them taste unforeseen success.
They reached the zenith of ODI cricket at Lord's in 2019 when they beat New Zealand in the final of the ICC 50-over World Cup. It was their first World Cup triumph in ODI cricket.
Not only has he been attacking-minded with the bat, but his aggressive leadership skills has helped England become a world-beating side in white-ball cricket. Here we will take a look at some of his best knocks with the willow for England.
1. 148 vs Aghanistan
The 2019 World Cup was being played in England and Wales. Morgan announced his intentions early on with a brilliant 148 against Afghanistan in the league stage.
His blietzkrig inning came in just 71 balls as the English captain launched an all-out attack on the Afghan bowlers. He hit 17 sixes in that inning, which remains a world-record till date.
No bowler was spared from Morgan's onslaught, including world-class spinner Rashid Khan.
Morgan's knock announced England's arrival at the tournament as they went on to win the match by a margin of 150 runs.
2. 121 vs Australia
The 2015 edition of the ICC ODI World Cup was held Down Under. Prior to the mega event, Morgan raged a tough battle against the mighty Aussies in a tri-series tournament.
He skilfully built his innings as he worked his way to a ton. His team-mates failed to support him as they piled on a combined total of 113 runs to Morgan's knock of 121.
Australia chased down the total but Morgan's knock was a true captain's inning.
3. 66 vs Pakistan
Pakistan batted first in this T20 match and posted a mammoth total of 195. England were struggling in their chase until Morgan came out to bat. Striking the ball at a brisk rate of 200, he notched up 66 runs against the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf to help England chase down the target.
As is customary of a Morgan inning, it had six fours and four sixes spread across the chase.
4. 91* vs New-Zealand
The brutality of a Morgan innings was felt by the Black Caps when the English skipper hit 91 of just 41 deliveries. Batting alongside the dangerous Dawid Malan, the duo helped England notch up 241 runs in their 20 overs.
The Kiwi bowlers had no answer to Morgan's exploits and New Zealand eventually lost the game by a margin of 76 runs.
5. 88 vs New-Zealand
It was New Zealand again who were at the receiving end of a Morgan dressing down. England endured a disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign. Post that tournament, they shifted to an aggressive brand of cricket, led by the man himself.
In the second 50-over game after the World Cup, Morgan smashed 88 of just 47 balls. It was laced with six boundaries and the same number of sixes. His knock sent a statement of intent to the English dressing room, showing them exactly what brand of cricket was demanded of them going forward.
Although England lost the game, that inning defined the route forward for English players in limited-overs cricket.
England skipper #EoinMorgan was simply incredible against Afghanistan on Tuesday, smashing a record 17 sixes on his way to 148!
@OPPO #BeAShotMaker 👏👏👏 https://t.co/kC76LYaC62