Captain’s mission Morgan seeks redemption in crucial New Zealand clash
Hammering by Kiwis in 2015 sparked revolution England may bring back Moeen for crunch game
Eoin Morgan describes the World Cup thumping by New Zealand four years ago as one of the worst days of his life.
A defeat at the Riverside today could leave Morgan feeling just as low because the make-up of the semi-finalists will become a lot clearer by the end of the match.
Victory would ensure England went through, most likely to face India at Edgbaston next Thursday.
Lose and their fate would be in the hands of others; they would have to hope Pakistan were beaten by Bangladesh at Lord’s on Friday to sneak through to the last four.
History is against England. They have lost their past five World Cup matches against New Zealand, stretching back to 1983. The worst defeat was the hammering in Wellington at the last World Cup, where they lost a day-nighter so quickly that the match was over before they needed to turn on the floodlights.
Bowled out for just 123, with Tim Southee taking the third-best World Cup figures of seven for 33, England were then smashed around by New Zealand captain Brendon Mccullum. His 77 off 25 balls included the mauling of a shellshocked Steven Finn, who conceded 49 from two overs as England rolled over.
“It was as close to rock bottom as I’ve been; certainly as a captain and as a player: being beaten off the park like that is humiliating,” said Morgan. “I didn’t know what to feel because things were so bad but we still had games to play. It was a terrible day, one of those moments in my career that will stand out forever in my life as a day where I was devastated not only with the way we performed but also the way we carried ourselves.”
But the seeds of England’s oneday revolution were planted, for Morgan saw the way New Zealand played their white-ball cricket and had an epiphany. He resolved that if he kept his job as captain his team would play the same fearless cricket that won so many admirers.
“The way New Zealand played, the way they did it their own way was important. It’s important for any team to get their own identity and stick with it,” said Morgan. “New Zealand proved a point that you can be good humans and grow the game and play cricket in your own way and win, at the same time.”
The most recent memory of playing New Zealand in England has much more relevance than that defeat. It was at the Riverside in 2015 that England won the deciding game of an incredible series, with Jonny Bairstow man of the match. They have rarely looked back since.
But England looked timid while losing to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia. The strut returned against India, but New Zealand are dangerous, with Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson two of the best fast bowlers in this tournament, and Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor two of the most accomplished batsmen.
Williamson has the highest batting average of this World Cup, 113.50 after two centuries, while only Mitchell Starc, with 24, has taken more wickets than Ferguson’s 17.
England are likely to pick the same team who won at Edgbaston, with Jofra Archer having recovered from a side strain and Jason Roy’s hamstring continuing to respond to treatment.
The pitch looks a good batting surface and, in the match here on Monday, West Indies were only 23 runs short of Sri Lanka’s 338.
The large playing surface could mean the spin of Moeen Ali comes back into contention but that would mean leaving out one of the local heroes, Mark Wood or Liam Plunkett. Wood has struggled in his past two matches, and perhaps needs a breather, but his pace is a potent factor. Plunkett plays for Surrey these days but is from Middlesbrough and started his career at Durham. His changes of pace were effective against India and he has a knack of dismissing top batsmen.
New Zealand sailed through most of the group stage but lost when faced with top-quality opposition and were bowled out for 157 by Australia at Lord’s on Saturday.
They will be tempted to pick Southee for the first time in this World Cup given his record against England and ability to swing the ball. But this pitch looks suited to England, with the promise of plenty of runs. There should be no excuses for not playing their way, or more accurately, the New Zealand way.