Exclusive: England has shown they can sustain Bazball – Eoin Morgan

 

There are some players in the game who play a key role in revolutionizing it, and former England skipper—Eoin Morgan belongs to that elusive category without an iota of doubt. England was knocked out of the 2015 World Cup in the group stage—and Morgan was on the receiving end as a leader. Since then, the Three Lions have adopted an aggressive approach in the white-ball formats, and the results are palpable as evident by the following statement.

“Being adventurous and open to something different is something I’d encourage captains to do. When it comes to the changing room, belief is a huge thing. It’s one of the strongest attributes I have ever had and it has stayed with me from the very beginning,” Eoin Morgan, who’s a guy of strong principles once said.

And, this is the panache—we have seen when Ben Stokes led England in a historic 3-0 whitewash against Pakistan.

When Jos Buttler led them to glory in the T20 2022 World Cup, they became the first team to hold the ODI World Cup as well as the T20I World Cup trophy at the same time.

England has been a force to reckon with in the limited-overs format, and they have already introduced a new wave in Test cricket, “Bazball,” which could become the norm in the foreseeable future. They are attracting crowds with their audacious approach, and Morgan has been a chief architect of the foundation.

In an exclusive interview with Dafanews, Eoin Morgan talked about how England can sustain its new bold method in Test matches.

Besides, the 2019 World Cup-winning captain also shed light on the future of the ongoing SA20, where he is plying his trade for Paarl Royals, and showered praise on his heir, Jos Buttler.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

Can England sustain “Bazball” in the longest format of the game when results will not go their way?

I think the ultimate answer is that we have already done that. They started their campaign 10 months ago, and since then, the relationship has blossomed as the tenure has gone on. They started against New Zealand, in the middle against India, but people continue to question how they are going to do it, and the only thing that has changed is people’s opinion.

The message has been how they are going to play, and that has remained constant throughout the whole process of what they are trying to achieve.

As a sports fan and as a fan of the England team, it is beautiful to watch them play like this. It is not only the style of cricket they are playing; it is also the level of trust they are building in the dressing room.

There is a huge level of faith in the way they are trying to play; I really enjoy it, and a lot of England fans enjoy it too. It is testing for other teams around the world, and they are making other teams, better teams. So, to answer your question, yes, they can sustain it.

 

Who has impressed Eoin Morgan, the leader here at SA20?

When you talk about leaders, there are different aspects; there are strengths and weaknesses. But ultimately, you need to be your own person. Throughout the tournament, our head coach, JP Duminy, who I have played against frequently in my career, has demonstrated outstanding leadership. He has impressed the whole team.

On the other teams, some domestic players have also impressed. You will have to look at the big roles that players play: the bowlers who bowl the hard overs and the batters who give a quick start to the team. Someone like Bjorn Fortuin has done a good job for us, but of course, he has experience.

 

Buttler led England to a T20 World Cup triumph. How good has he been since he took over the leadership role?

He has been outstanding. Obviously, he has been one of the best players in the world at the moment. He tries to get the best out of the players.

When it came out to a little bit of outside pressure situations in the T20 World Cup, Jos and his team were able to stand tall to the challenges.

You look at Australia, they couldn’t sustain the pressure, the home advantage, the crowd behind them, defending their title, the pressure got the better of them. When you look at how Jos and the team handled the pressure, they were simply outstanding. Probably, to a level that we have not seen yet. If you look at India in the last two World Cups, they have got it completely wrong. India obviously lost in the group stages in the UAE, and they were belted by England in that semifinal in Adelaide.

 

This is only the first season of the SA20, but do you think the league has the potential to lift South African cricket, and why?

I think it’s already achieved that. The response from the general public has been immense and overwhelming. All types of age groups have turned out to watch it in abundance, which is a great sign for the tournament.