NZ v ENG 2019: Eoin Morgan calls for improved fielding effort after England's defeat in Wellington

Third T20I will be played at Saxton Oval on Tuesday.

New Zealand won second T20I against England | Getty Images

England's captain Eoin Morgan was disappointed with his team’s attitude and asked his troops to improve their fielding after they dropped five catches in a 21-run defeat against New Zealand in the second T20 International at Westpac Stadium on Sunday (November 3).

As the Black Caps bounced back from their Christchurch defeat to level the five-match T20I series, the Three Lions continued their poor limited-overs’ record at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, as they have now lost five of their seven games including a couple of ODIs here.

On Sunday, James Vince missed three chances as the Kiwis managed to post 176-8 in Wellington T20I match with Jimmy Neesham top-scoring with 42 after Martin Guptill’s 41. In reply, Morgan’s team was bowled out for 155 with NZ spinner Mitchell Santner taking 3-25 and lost the match in Wellington.

Read Also: New Zealand bounce back to level the T20I series with resounding win in Wellington

Morgan told reporters after Wellington match, “When you drop that amount of catches it's not a great reflection on the performance and the levels of fielding that we aspire to. There were a couple of catches that went in the sun which made it look a lot worse but as regards our standard catches, we expect more.”

He continued, “I think it's more of an attitude thing because there's such a short turnaround, the natural default of any player is to step back and not commit to a 50-50 chance or their mindset changes to go back in their shell. That's not what we want, we want guys continuing to attack the ball, find themselves in hot spots if they're good enough and if they drop catches, they drop catches. That's the nature of it.”

However, the England skipper hoped that the youngsters will learn from their mistakes, adding: “We have to make mistakes. If guys come in and smash it from the start and really find international cricket easy, I don't think that's a great opportunity given to guys. We want to see guys being pegged back and how they react from there. Chances will continue to come and opportunities will continue to come regardless of the result.”

He was also impressed by Chris Jordan who finished with excellent figures of 3 for 23 and also cracked a quick-fire 36 in a defeated match against the Black Caps.

Morgan signed off by saying, “He was exceptional. One of the reasons we combine these new guys with experienced players is to have them out on the field doing what they do. Having CJ out there with his experience and his execution is outstanding. He's one of the best.”

(With Cricbuzz Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 04 Nov, 2019

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