England was led by a Dublin-born man, but this crew had so much more than the luck of the Irish. It was a multicultural team built on the image of the nation.
England was led by a Dublin-born man, but this crew had so much more than the luck of the Irish. It was a multicultural team built on the image of the nation.
Led by Morgan, who grew up on the east coast of Ireland, inspired by Ben Stokes of Cantabria and super-over to Bridgetown’s Jofra Archer, it was the diversity of this team that helped England to a first victory in the ICC men’s cricket world cup.
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Leg spinner Adil Rashid told Morgan that they even had Allah as a land on their side, united around these men, who came from all over the world to play a fearless, ambitious kind of cricket.
And for Morgan, that diversity was never more obvious than under the biggest pressure of a Super Over in a World Championship final. He said, “I talked to Adil, he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the grime of the greens.
“It’s actually the epitome of our team. Very different backgrounds and cultures and people grew up in different countries and finding humor in the situation we were in at times was pretty cool. “
The fact that England could smile and smile in preparation for the Super Over is testament to the confidence in the group.
Morgan has called on his players during this World Cup to seize the opportunity and not to shy away from the biggest moments. When it mattered and a six-ball world championship was to be decided, Morgan’s team did just that.
“I ask you to smile, laugh, enjoy because it’s such a ridiculous situation, where there is quite a lot of pressure in that particular moment of the day, never mind the rest of it, and the fact it got to a super over and we had that to defend, “he added. “It’s a matter of trying to put smiles on the guys.”
If Archer epitomizes that carefree attitude more than anyone, seemingly unfazed by the pressure of the biggest over his life in his first season of cricket international, it’s Stokes who wants to be the final image of this and this World Cup.
Three years after Carlos Brathwaite had launched the ICC World Twenty20 from England’s hands, Stokes did the same to New Zealand with his unbeaten.
All Morgan could do was admire him. He added, “Getting through is extraordinary. (Ben) is almost superhuman. He really carried the team and our battering team. I know Jos (Buttler) and his partnership was extraordinary, but I found it unbelievable to do with the lower order as he did.
“The atmosphere, the emotions that prevailed throughout the game have allowed him to handle it with extreme skill. And of course everyone watching at home will hopefully try to be the next Ben Stokes.
“I’ve said that about Ben a few times. I think many careers have ended after what happened in Calcutta.
“Ben has stood up for us individually and on numerous occasions on numerous occasions. He is a leader in training and all the team meetings we have and he is an incredible cricketer. And today he has a huge day off and of course we are grateful for that. “
Morgan enters the sacred terrain as captain, winning the English World Cup, joining Bobby Moore and Martin Johnson.
He quickly downplayed these comparisons and insisted that he would be happy to continue the quiet life, even after he led England to a win whose effects on cricket in that country will persist long after the end of his career.
He added, “There is no Mount Rushmore, Primrose Hill, that’s all.
“I’m not sure (my life has changed), I hope it has not changed much, I enjoy my life.
“I am running very quietly, so I hope it has not changed too much, I would love it if it changes for all the others who want to change it, but I enjoy my life.”
