CWC 2019: Thought of World Cup final berth was laughable after 2015 ouster, says Eoin Morgan

England must not shy away from World Cup final challenge against New Zealand.

Morgan with Joe Root smiles after reaching World Cup final | Getty Images

An elated England skipper Eoin Morgan admitted that the thought of reaching the  World Cup 2019 final would have been laughable for England after their heartbreaking ouster four years ago.

Since their World Cup 2015 early departure, England has made a remarkable turnaround in the 50-over format and now reached finals for the first time since 1992 and captain Morgan credited all of the coaches, the backroom staff and players for the success.

Speaking to media at the post-match conference, Morgan said: “If you had offered us the position to play in a final the day after we were knocked out of the 2015 Cup, I would have laughed at you. It sums up how far we have come in the last four years. Everyone in the changing room - the squad, all of the coaches, the backroom staff - should take a huge amount of credit.”

After kicking Australia out of the World Cup 2019 with a ruthless semi-final display in Birmingham, Morgan wants something similar from his troops against dangerous New Zealand in the title clash at Lord’s on 14th July, Sunday, saying England must not "shy away" from the mega final.

He continued, “I think Sunday’s not a day to shy away from, it’s a day to look forward to, much like this. We've created the opportunity to play in a World Cup final and it will be a matter of trying to keep doing the same things - produce what we can in performance, but also enjoy the day.”

While England will be favorites at Lord’s, but Morgan said the Black Caps will be tough to beat in the high-pressure final, but insisted his players learned to enjoy such situations.

The Englishman added, “I think New Zealand throughout the whole tournament has been probably the hardest side to beat and the best side in the group stages. I think their performance in the semi-final was probably their best. They will be a difficult side to beat on Sunday, so we are looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Morgan also commented on thrilling win over Australia: “Today was close to a perfect performance. Right from the two bowlers upfront - Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer bowled a hell of a spell. They put pressure on with early wickets and allowed us to stay on the front foot.”

He signed off by saying, “We knew we had to do that to be contenders. Today was a step further in the performance. Everyone on the field and in the changing room loved every ball that was bowled. There was no lack of commitment, application. We had a bit of a day out. It's cool when it happens like that, particularly when the bowlers bowl like that. It's awesome. I think as a team we have learned to enjoy ourselves, particularly days like this, even if they don’t go well.”

(With BBC Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 12 Jul, 2019

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