I NEVER COUNT OUR CHICKENS
CHRIS JORDAN has admitted he never allows himself to enjoy that winning feeling until the game is over – after learning his lesson the hard way.
The paceman got ahead of himself after delivering the 19th over in the World Twenty20 final against West Indies in 2016 and handing Ben Stokes the job of defending 19 from the last six balls.
Like most people in the ground, he thought the match was as good as won.
But Carlos Brathwaite popped up to smash four consecutive sixes and rip the trophy from England’s grasp.
It was the toughest experience for Jordan and his teammates to go through.
He insists, though, that they have become stronger and wiser for it.
“We tend to have a laugh about it now,” Jordan said.
“I bowled that over under what was quite immense pressure – when I bowled a dot ball on that final ball, it definitely did feel a lot closer than it ended up.
“That’s part of the learning, part of having that experience, because having that feeling after that ball is something where I’ll never take myself to that place ever again.
“We definitely came out stronger for it as a unit and a team and I definitely won’t be thinking that way after bowling the 19th over until it is fully, fully over.”
As painful as that final-over heist was for Stokes, above, and England, Jordan is adamant the lessons learnt have been put to good use since then.
“One of the things that sticks out to me is how quickly that last over went,” he said.
“I remember going into a few games after that. When we did get in those situations a lot more, we just started to slow the game down a bit so that the decisionmaking was much clearer.
“You saw that going into the 50-over World Cup in 2019 – the team was on autopilot.
“Any situation, you saw the game started to slow down a little bit and everybody came up with an informed and correct decision.
“The team having been together for so long, the chemistry is there, the talent is there.
“All the ingredients are there for us to make a decent run in this campaign as well.”
Jordan is certain to be at the heart of this month’s T20 World Cup bid as one of skipper Eoin Morgan’s most trusted lieutenants – and as England’s highest-ever wicket-taker in the format.
The 33-year-old’s experience and knowledge are invaluable to the side and he is happy to pass it on.
“I just try to lend a helping hand as much as possible and be there for anybody who needs me,” he said.
“I have had the privilege of seeing so many different surfaces and experiencing quite a few different things, so I try to bounce my ideas as much as possible at Morgy if he needs me.”
Jordan learnt a vital lesson from T20 final debacle