Well, well, well. It looks like England victories in India are like buses. And I don’t mean that they’re big, red, overcrowded, and driven by people who get angry if you don’t give them the right change.
I wrote an article the other day on why I think T20 is probably England’s strongest suit these days. The bowling just looks better in this form of the game: Mills provides a bit of X-factor, we’ve got options coming out of our ears – Rashid didn’t even bowl yesterday – and Moeen’s calm head and respectable economy rate matter more than his inability to bowl unplayable hand-grenades.
In many ways, yesterday’s comprehensive win was the perfect all-round performance. Our Bowlers took regular wickets – which meant India’s batsmen we unable to generate much momentum – and then our batsmen calmly picked off the runs.
The aforementioned Mo was obviously the star with the ball, but everyone did their job pretty well. And once Roy and Billings got our innings off to a decent enough start, and then Root played himself in, the result was never in doubt.
I should also give a special mention to Eoin ‘I can still play a bit’ Morgan. He batted well – a mature captain’s knock by all reports – and proved that he can still, err, play a bit.
I really hope Eoin has turned the corner. I’ve written many times before that I used to be a huge fan of his. Between 2009 and 2012 he was absolutely brilliant – one of the best limited overs specialists in the world – but I don’t think he’s played particularly well since then (and the stats bear this out).
At times Morgan has looked a shadow of his former swashbuckling self – he’s looked short of confidence and technically frail – but perhaps the swagger is slowly returning? I certainly hope so.
England already have a plethora of exciting one-day batsmen. Adding a rejuvenated Morgan, who used to be a great improviser and strong finisher, would make England’s recipe all the more delicious.
James Morgan
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