Excuse the cheesy headline. That kind of pun belongs in the Daily Star rather than a well regarded highbrow cricket website (what, you mean like cricinfo? – ed). However, I can’t get away from the fact that Eoin Morgan is indeed a born winner. There’s something about the aggressive way he bats and that steely look in his eyes. It’s also his unorthodox technique, which hasn’t quite hit the heights in test cricket yet, but seems ideal for one-day cricket. If Andy Flower wants to win the world cup next year, he should book a seat on the next flight to Ireland and unearth some more expert hurlers. Eoin Morgan attributes his success in ODIs to his grounding in traditional Irish sports that make his extravagant reverse slogs instinctive and natural. Some of the shots he played in his match-winning 107 yesterday were literally jaw dropping. What’s more, he’s so cool under pressure that esky manufacturers must be desperate to discover his secret.
But let’s not forget the contribution of Graeme Swann. England’s total of 256 was competitive, but by no means unassailable. It was Swann’s spell of 3-26 in nine overs which sealed the deal. The balls which clean bowled Fawad Alam and Mohammad Yousuf were absolute jaffas. The former rivalled Shane Warne’s dismissal of Mike Gatting at Old Trafford years ago. It swerved in, pitched outside leg, spun viciously and hit the top of off stump. The amount of turn Swann gets is remarkable for an orthodox off-spinner. He bowls at a good pace too. It just goes to prove that spinners don’t need a doosra – and don’t need to chuck it – to be effective. Swann is the best spinner in the world and deserves to win the ICC cricketer of the year award.
James Morgan
Morgan was very impressive and his biggest attribute is his calmness. Good to see that he can score runs when batting first as well as chasing a target. I still worry at test level that he is not tight enough outside off stump but he has the talent to adapt.