‘England’s World Cup journey would make for an amazing film’
Nishad Neelambaran
It was a tense stage in the 2019 cricket World Cup. Having lost to Australia, the English, who had started out as tournament favourites, were staring at yet another heartbreaking ouster. But just then, the three lions roared, staging a royal comeback, and went on to claim their first-ever World Cup. The ghosts of the 2015 outing had been exorcised.
There were the heroes — Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Jonny Bairstow. But the one who led the charge of the English brigade, the leader of their limited-overs sides, Eoin Morgan, had a special role to play in the victory with his inspired captaincy. And the nerve-wracking final moments of the game vs New Zealand left the 33-year-old overwhelmed.
“The overriding emotion was exhilaration and joy. It was a journey of four years since the tournament in 2015. Every guy going through same kind of experiences in life together made it so much more special,” says Morgan, who whacked a record 17 sixes in the game against Afghanistan.
What does a normal day look like in a World Cupwinning captain’s life, we ask. “Waking up next to the trophy,” he says, laughing. Giving us a sneak peek into his daily routine, Morgan says, “I wake up early in the morning and go straight to the gym. It is followed by breakfast and then I go to team training. We train till about 1pm and if I need to do any extras then I do it in the afternoon. Then in the evening, it’s normally with my wife or friends and family over a barbecue as I love them.”
He has been in India a number of times for series and tournaments, but the Irishborn Morgan, unlike the likes of Dwayne Bravo and Brett Lee, is still ‘terrible’ at Hindi. “My Hindi is very poor. I have tried speaking in Hindi and it’s just terrible,” he laughs.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad player, who counts Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar as his favourite Indian cricketers, loves to gorge on Hyderabadi biryani. “I was in Hyderabad when I played the Indian Premier League and I absolutely love the biryani there,” he says.
Wouldn’t it be great to tell the story of the triumph by way of a film? “I think England’s World Cup journey would be an amazing story to narrate. I think to be able to portray it in a fashion like they do it here would be very entertaining,” he says.
I have tried speaking in Hindi and it’s just terrible. I was in Hyderabad when I played the Indian Premier League and I absolutely love the biryani there. EOIN MORGAN
ENGLAND CRICKET CAPTAIN