England skipper Eoin Morgan hands his side a licence to thrill in bid to reach World Twenty20 final
ENGLAND skipper Eoin Morgan has given his side licence to thrill when they go head-to-head with New Zealand for a place the World Twenty20 final tomorrow afternoon.
While the road has been rocky at times, 2010 winners England won their last three group matches against South Africa, Afghanistan and defending champions Sri Lanka to secure a last-four spot.
Familiarity with the conditions in Delhi, together with a pre-tournament victory against the Black Caps, led all-rounder Ben Stokes to suggest England have a mental advantage over New Zealand, although Morgan’s focus is on freedom of expression.
“In my experience of getting to the knockout stage in any tournament, you have done the hard work and it is almost now that you have earned a licence to go out and express yourself as much as you can,” said Morgan.
“That attitude means getting the best out of yourself. If you have guys coming out who are very relaxed about performing on the big stage I think that takes a lot of weight off your shoulders.”
England’s advance to the semi-final is a far cry from their showing at the 50-over World Cup a year ago where they suffered a harrowing group-stage exit, a rate of white-ball progress which has stunned Morgan.
“I’ve been asked the question a couple of times after every series we’ve played and I can’t quite believe where we are overall with one-day cricket and T20 cricket,” added Morgan.
“I think the guys that we’ve selected have done outstandingly well. They’ve shown a great amount of attitude in learning, because it’s not always easy.”