Morgan: ‘We’re a different team than the one playing three or four games ago’
England captain Eoin Morgan believes that his side have renewed confidence after earlier defeats left them fighting to stay in the Cricket World Cup.
After losing to Sri Lanka at Headingley and Australia at Lord’s, England faced the prospect of exiting the tournament at the group stage and had to win against eventual semi-finalists India and New Zealand to secure their spot in the final four. Despite Pakistan breathing heavily down their necks, England managed to do just that and are now ready to take on the Aussies in the second semi-final at Edgbaston.
“I think we are more confident than we were three games ago,” said the 32-year-old. “We’re probably a different team than the one that was playing three or four games ago. The loss against Sri Lanka hurt us and there was an overhang into the Lord’s game (vs Australia).
“We came to Edgbaston (vs India) and managed to produce something similar to the cricket that we have been playing over the last four years and that was really encouraging. We then went on to Durham (vs New Zealand), put in a better performance and improved again. Tomorrow, we are going to look to do the same.”
England have won each of their last four one-day internationals at Edgbaston, while Australia have not won a 50-over match there since 1993. Morgan thinks that such a record could be important to England’s chances.
England continued their fine form at Edgbaston with a 31-run win over India
“I think that’s part and parcel of being the hosts. You have a little bit of home advantage and it plays a part here at Edgbaston. There is a reason why we do have a lot of success here. The wicket tends to suit us but also the support does as well.”
Morgan also believed that Kevin Pietersen’s comments on him looking “scared” against the short ball while facing Mitchell Starc during the World Cup defeat to the Aussies at Lord’s did not help the England cause.
“When Kevin Pietersen comes out with a comment, it’s very similar to comments I addressed from Geoffrey Boycott,” Morgan told the BBC. “They are not ones that are considered good for a team environment and don’t take the best interests of the team or the player at heart. Guys are trying their heart out to do well for their country, trying to learn, trying to get better.”
This article was brought to you in partnership with Betfair Exchange. Always gamble responsibly.
