Morgan’s delighted to have England headache
EOIN Morgan hailed England’s fringe players after they sealed a 3-2 Twenty20 series victory over New Zealand in Auckland – but only after another Super Over between the teams.
Four months on from their suspenseful World Cup final at Lord’s, England and New Zealand were once again at a stalemate inside Eden Park after finishing level on 146 from 11 overs, shortened because of rain.
Boundary countback was all that determined England’s first 50-over global title in July but there was to be little of that drama on the other side of the world as Morgan’s men prevailed by nine runs in the six-ball shootout. Asked whether he foresaw another Super Over against the Black Caps, Morgan replied: “No, not at all. I definitely thought there was going to be a result in an 11-over game.
“I thought we’d either chase it down or we’d get beaten quite comfortably.
“The fact it went down to the wire indicates how the guys applied themselves and the level of skill they produced to get close. It was brilliant again and another step forward for us as a group.”
Chris Jordan was ultimately the headline act for England yesterday, scoring 12 from the last three deliveries, including four from the final one, to draw the tourists level.
After Jonny Bairstow and Morgan had both bludgeoned sixes to lift England to 17 in their Super Over, Jordan bowled with plenty of guile to restrict New Zealand to eight for one in their reply.
Jordan may already be an accomplished T20 performer for England but this tour has seen them blood six fresh faces – and Morgan believes they have put pressure on the more established stars rested from the series.
With the start of the T20 World Cup less than 12 months away, Morgan said: “It creates a really good headache for us when it comes to selection.
“We are further ahead than we thought and the guys on this tour who will probably miss out on South Africa (at the beginning of next year) have raised that benchmark for guys who come back in.
“They are now almost expected to score runs and expected to do well because of opportunities given and taken by these guys.”
It creates a really good headache for us when it comes to selection Eoin Morgan