WE PLAY LIKE WE’RE WORLD No 2... ALWAYS CHASING TO GET BETTER
Morgan’s masterplan for England to win Cup at last
Jofra’s exciting but Wood and Plunkett bowl at 90mph, too
Eoin Morgan will not tempt fate by imagining what it might be like to become the first England captain to lift the World Cup.
‘no, i don’t allow myself to think about it at all,’ insisted Morgan as he pondered this summer’s showcase 50- over tournament. ‘The game can be cruel and if we need an example of that we need only look back to the World Twenty20 final in 2016.
‘The final over that Ben Stokes bowled (when West indies needed 19 to win and Carlos Brathwaite promptly hit four consecutive sixes) emphasised how unpredictable sport is and that’s why we love it. Every time you think you’re good you’re not.
‘Just because we’ve become no 1 in the world we haven’t changed anything. We play like we’re no 2 and we’re chasing somebody. We’re always trying to chase and better ourselves.’ it is an approach that is designed to stop expectations rising as England approach a home World Cup as favourites. They will open the tournament, 100 days from tomorrow, against South africa at the oval knowing they can make English cricket history in the final at Lord’s on July 14.
‘We’ve put a lot of work into where we’re at and we’ve come a long way,’ said Morgan, who leads England into the one-day series against West indies on Wednesday.
‘ We’ve got 11 matches between now and that first World Cup game and they are very important, particularly against West indies because conditions will change quite drastically here and will get us out of our comfort zone.
‘We need to learn as much as we can from this series so by the seventh or eighth game of the tournament when we play in different conditions we are able to adapt.’
The irishman, who told his family he wanted to play for England when he was just 13, knows just how big a chance cricket has to cement itself at a challenging time for the sport in the public consciousness.
‘The anticipation is definitely building,’ said Morgan. ‘i went to a local school in Holloway and the young kids were getting excited about a world event coming to England.
‘Some of them didn’t know much about cricket but they were learning about the cultures of the different nations who are playing and it was a way of them saying, “This is what we have to offer in London”. That’s part and parcel of growing the sport.
‘it’s a massive chance of getting cricket to a wider audience. i remember the 1999 World Cup and going to one of the games in Dublin.
‘The city wasn’t that hyper about cricket but everybody knew what was going on because it was such a big event. i must have been 11 or 12 but i can still remember seeing the West indian bowlers like Curtly ambrose and Courtney Walsh and thinking they were absolute giants.
‘it was brilliant and if we have an opportunity to make that sort of impact on somebody’s life like that then that’s great.’
all of which makes the five-game series here, starting on Wednesday at the Kensington oval, crucial. These are the last games England will play before they name their squad on april 23.
‘i don’t think we can say, “This is our World Cup squad” so far out, particularly with bowlers, because people can pick up injuries at any time,’ said Morgan. ‘When you’re so far out it can be detrimental to nail your colours to a mast and say, “This is the team”.
‘Then if one or two drop out the mood can change. We probably have 17 or 18 who could be in the squad and there are three or four tough decisions to make before april 23.’
one of the toughest concerns the imminent qualification of the exciting Jofra archer, who will be available next month.
‘i’ve played against Jofra on numerous occasions and he comes with a big reputation,’ said Morgan. ‘ That reputation is justified because he’s an extremely talented young cricketer. He’s raw but he’s performed in big tournaments around the world like the iPL and the Big Bash.
‘as soon as he qualifies we’ll make a decision on him and think about what direction we’re going to go in.’
Morgan has been the key figure in the development of a special spirit around this England white-ball side.
‘The aim of the side is to continuously better ourselves and the end goal is to be contenders for the World Cup,’ he said. ‘if picking Jofra ties in with everything else he’ll have a chance. We’re not going to bring anybody in who would upset five different people and be a massive thorn in everybody’s side.
‘His biggest attributes are death bowling and pace. But we do have two guys who can bowl 90mph in Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood. Jofra’s young and exciting so there’s a lot of talk about him.’
Morgan has to make contact with the potential new recruit from Barbados with an English father and a British passport.
Morgan, 32, will be at something of a crossroads after the tournament. Should he bow out at the top, particularly if he is holding that trophy aloft at Lord’s, and hand over to his deputy Jos Buttler?
‘ i haven’t had any serious injuries at 32 so that’s good,’ said Morgan. ‘Stuff can change pretty quickly and there are questions i ask myself a lot of the time. am i adding value as a player? am i adding value as a captain? i’ll have to ask them again after the World Cup because ultimately that’s what i’m going to be judged on.’
Morgan could have a goodbye even more perfect than that of alastair Cook, who hit a century in his last Test innings at the oval last summer, if England win the Cup.
‘Fairytale endings don’t exist,’ he laughed. ‘Cooky’s was surreal. i still don’t think it happened. it was extraordinary.’
not as extraordinary as if England won the World Cup and ashes in the same summer.