The Missing Link?

England's recent thrashing away to India raised plenty of questions for Andy Flower and his boys heading into their New Year in the subcontinent. The media cameup with one answer: Eoin Morgan.

There's no doubt that England missed Morgan on the tour - he's had as much IPL experience as any other England batsmen, and he had some success on the subcontinent against Bangladesh last year. As MS Dhoni and India brought their totals up to and over 300, English fans were left hoping rather than believing that England's middle order could up the pace and challenge the home side. The 5 defeats ranged from the nailbiters to the collapses, but there was only one game where England ever really looked in total control. That didn't last long.

Is Morgan the answer? Why is such a relatively young player seen as so critical to the hopes of the world's top Test team, the T20 World champions? England always do badly in the subcontinent - would Morgan's presence have turned the series around?
In reality, no. The real problem isn't that Morgan was missing. It's that no one else on the English team plays in a similar fashion to him. I'm not asking for the improvised reverse pitching wedges and scoops over fine leg - the day Jonathan Trott tries that shot is the day cricket will end - but the English batsmen all showed a marked inexperience when it came to simple things.

Playing India at home is tough. Their spinners (now without Harbhajan Singh) can slow teams down as well as take wickets. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina can hold up one end while allowing a more attacking bowler the chance to strike. Their batsmen enjoy the dry pitches, and when MS Dhoni is in the form he showed on that tour it's tough to stop the juggernaut.
But you know you're in trouble if you're only taking Kohli for 5 runs an over. When Raina keeps you on strike for an over. What Eoin Morgan does as well as anyone is rotate the strike. He finds the gaps. That doesn't mean launching drives through cover for four. It means jinking and nurdling the ball behind point and square, between the keeper and fine leg. It means keeping the bowler off balance, and keeping the field moving. It means turning dots into singles, and singles into twos.

This English team is young, particularly some of the batsmen. They are still learning their craft. Alastair Cook is still finding his feet as a captain. But to succeed on the ODI stage, they need to adopt the Morgan approach. Cook has class, and his opening partner Craig Kieswetter has raw power. Morgan has both. Kieswetter might get you off to a flier, with 40 off 20, but how will he fare in the middle overs. There are times when it seems like it's the big shot over extra cover or nothing at all. If the boundary doesn't come off the first 3 or 4 balls of the over, all the pressure's on the batsman. Morgan doesn't let that happen. There's nothing more frustrating than watching your side bowl to a man who seems able to churn out 6 and 7 runs an over while playing risk-free cricket. Eoin Morgan can do that as well as anyone in the world.

As for the last ten overs, when a team needs to push on, he's just the man to have at the crease. He seems to shift gears effortlessly, and has the strength and wrists to clear any boundary. Again, though, what marks him apart is his nous. Samit Patel might hit three sixes and then be caught at long on. Morgan will hit a six and then take the single. Samit might make 30 off 18. Morgan will make 80 off 60. He sees the target, and finds a way to get there. His maiden ODI century came against Bangladesh when England were up against it. He barely raised the bat - his focus was on the job in hand, and working over the opposition to finish it off.

Not every player can play like Eoin Morgan; he's England's best ODI batsman, and guys like him don't grow on trees. But if England want to bring their dominance to the 50-over format, they need to learn from Morgan. Of course he has the physical attributes, but above all else he has a good cricketing brain and an ability to adapt his play to the situation. There are times when you want Jonathan Trott batting, to make his 50 even if it take 780 balls (typo, but I'll leave it). There are times when you want Samit to have a whack. Eoin Morgan can do both without changing his game.

It's always a little bittersweet to watch Morgan, thinking of what might have been with Ireland. But when he makes a matchwinning contribution, there aren't many you'd pick to watch instead.

On Top Of The World

So let's try and say it without the raised eyebrows, without that incredulous tone of voice, and perhaps most importantly of all, without the disbelieving nausea.

England are world champions.

Admittedly it's the T20 world cup and half their team is Japanese or something, but you can't take it away from them. I've already tried, and I got into trouble.

England were arguably the most consistent team throughout the whole tournament. They bowled well consistently, and they were never without a few batsmen who fired to get them the runs they needed. Oddly enough, the toughest their batsmen had it was against Ireland, where but for the Guyanan rain.....who knows?

They fielded fantastically over the fortnight, and having a captain like Paul Collingwood really gets a team going in the field - all it takes is one good catch and the whole team's buzzing.

England's top order may have failed at times, needing Eoin Morgan and Tim Bresnan to bail them out, but they never got skittled at the top. Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter always came out hitting, and even if they went early they'd got England off to a flyer.

England were the one team who looked happy chasing scores throughout the tournament, and you can put that down to Lumb, Kieswetter, and Pietersen getting them ahead of the rate quickly. Add in Morgan and Luke Wright as finishers and you've got a good line-up.

KP played some of the best cricket we've seen from him in quite some time, and you get the feeling he's ready to take that form into all forms of the game.

Australia were great throughout the whole tournament, but with the exception of Pakistan in the semis, they failed to be tested until they met England. Their batting strength is obvious - they bat to at least number 9, but perhaps this took a little pressure off the top order. Certainly Watson and Warner didn't do themselves justice, and captain Michael Clarke should get the boot - I think he's a wonderful cricketer, but it's not his game.

The Australian bowlers were fantastic - Nannes, Tait and Johnson is a frightening combination - but they didn't have enough to defend on that final day, and once Kieswetter and KP got into their stride they were tough to stop.

Going into the World T20 England's line-up looked strong. Coming out it looks even better. They've found an opening combo that suits, and don't expect them to tinker with it for a while. Their bowlers made good use of their variation, and bowled as the pitches required. Inspired in the field, they had the heart to win every game.

The most dangerous thing about England is that they now know how to take success - they file it away and build on it. Andy Flower has got a good mentality in that camp, and he'll be focussing minds on the Ashes this winter. Who knows how many players who contested that final will face off down under for the 1st test? It's a different game, but nothing beats confidence, and right now, England are flying high.