It would have been tragic if Eoin Morgan had decided to step down, feels Chris Silverwood
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England coach Chris Silverwood felt it would have been 'tragic' if Eoin Morgan had decided to stand down as limited-overs captain after their historic World Cup triumph. He was heavily impressed with the results and puts the series win into context with the T20 world cup looming on the horizon.
A back injury had led Morgan to contemplate on his future last summer but since then he has set his sights on leading England into both the T20 World Cup in Australia in a few months' time and the one which will start in October next year. The southpaw continued his rich vein of form by bludgeoning a 21-ball fifty -the quickest in T20s by an England batter - broke the back of the chase to propel his side to a 2-1 series victory over South Africa in Centurion on Sunday. The head coach admitted that he was a relieved man after the left-hander decided to remain in his post.
"I'm obviously very glad. He's got so much experience in there and he's a fine player. To lose him would have been tragic, really. He's got the bit between his teeth as we've seen, he's got the ability to stay cool under pressure, to methodically break the scoreboard down, take risks when it's applicable and guide us home as he has done. It's super to have him." said Chris Silverwood as quoted by Sky Sports.
There was plenty of question marks over Jos Buttler’s opening position but the right-hander swashbuckling 57 from 29 balls has silenced the critics for some time. His innings set the tone to England’s pursuit of South Africa’s 222 for six in the third and final T20I. Bairstow contributed with 64 runs from 34 balls in a chase where the tourists never let the run-rate get out of hand before Morgan closed the show in a hail of maximums, as England recorded their second-highest successful chase in T20s.
It was a fantastic series for the Englishmen as they ended their SA tour without losing a single trophy. They won the Test series, drew the ODIs and had the last laugh by clinching the T20 series. The head coach was heavily impressed with the results and puts the series win into context with the T20 world cup looming on the horizon.
"Obviously it leaves us in a good place. We've played some really good cricket, both sides have, and the competition as a whole has been highly pressurised. Both teams have pushed each other hard so I think both teams will go away better for the experience. For us to get over the line in the way we have, we'll draw a lot of confidence from that.
"It's just a continual building process leading up to that World Cup but what we're achieving; we're seeing we're getting better all the time, every game we play the guys are pulling together and getting better at what they do. It's left us in a confident space,” he added.
