Ice-cold leader was miles ahead of his time
Eoin Morgan was more than simply the most successful white-ball captain England have ever had. He was a man who changed our cricketing culture and mentality — and, with them, our results.
His effect was not just limited to the 15 cricketers in his squads, but to the whole country. Batters especially saw the way he wanted England to play, and they wanted to be part of it.
Morgan was given a hospital pass ahead of the 2015 World Cup, but he watched how Brendon McCullum had transformed new Zealand’s fortunes, and he set about doing the same for England. Credit, too, must go to andrew Strauss for sticking with Morgan after that World Cup ended in debacle. Previously, England’s one-day side had been seen as a reward for Test-match players. But Morgan changed all that. Like we’re seeing with McCullum and the Test team now, his clarity of thought never wavered: you had to go out there and be positive. it was a non-negotiable. one of his great strengths was that he never doubted himself. i remember speaking to him after England had been bowled out in 45 overs in an oDi against new Zealand at
the ageas Bowl, and guys like ian Smith and Michael Holding were saying up in the commentary box that not batting out your overs was a cardinal sin.
But Morgan (right) was adamant that he wanted his guys to go out and bat the same way in the next game. The message that sent not just to his dressing room but to the prospective England players in county cricket was crucial. Keep going. Don’t doubt yourself. it was infectious. as an on-field captain, he was cool, calm and calculated. He was icy-cold. Like all the best leaders, he had a presence. and the one time he didn’t get things right, he learned from it. That was in the 2016 World T20 final, when Carlos Brathwaite hit Ben Stokes for those four sixes in Kolkata, and Morgan felt he hadn’t taken time out of the game to slow things down and allow Stokes some clarity of thought.
So when it came to Jofra archer’s super over against new Zealand at Lord’s in the 50-over final in 2019, Morgan made sure he spoke to his bowler after he began with a tight wide. in the difficult moments, he made sure he was there for his players.
He was also ahead of his time, along with Kevin Pietersen, in realising the value to English cricket of the IPL. First, he helped make better players of the likes of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Jason roy and Liam Livingstone. Then he encouraged them to play in the IPL, where they learned to be even better. as a batter, he was miles ahead, too. it wasn’t just that he realised the 50-over game had moved away from being short-form Test cricket and closer towards being elongated T20. He was also playing reverse scoops and switch hits long before anyone else, with the exception of Pietersen. it helped that he was his own man, and wasn’t weighed down with any English notions of how one-day cricket should be played. and he could be a fantastic striker of the ball, as he showed when he hit those world-record 17 sixes in a World Cup match against afghanistan in Manchester. Even though he clearly felt the time was right to call it a day, he was the kind of player who could go a few months without picking up a bat, then score five fifties in a row. if he’d carried on now, that kind of sequence wouldn’t have surprised me at all.
But rob Key said at the start of the summer that Morgan would always do what was best for the team, and he’s obviously decided that going now gives Buttler enough time to prepare for the T20 World Cup in australia later this year. it also ensures he’s not taking a place away from a young batter who’s ready for international cricket — and thanks to the Morgan effect, there are plenty around. Buttler is the perfect replacement. He and Morgan are close friends, and he’s steeped in the Morgan way of doing things. He’ll have no problem replicating his style of play. and there’s no greater compliment than that.