ICC World Cup 2019 | England is a different team after league stage, believes Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan has sent out a fair warning to Australia saying that his side is not the same team they beat three games ago at Lord’s. During the league phase, Australia beat England by 45 runs, but since then, England have registered two comprehensive wins over India and New Zealand.
Losing to their longest standing rivals at Lord’s - the mecca of Cricket - is painful in itself. But, when that loss pushes you to the brink of elimination from the World Cup, on home soil, is a whole other level of hurt. After successive defeats at the hands of Sri Lanka and Australia, England did well to recover against India and New Zealand to not only save their campaign but to look again like the tournament favourites they were prior to the World Cup.
As they head into the World Cup semi-final, the hosts know full well that they are knocking on the doors of history. Morgan’s side can taste their nation’s first final since 1992 if they beat Australia. The captain has urged his players to revel at the moment.
“Sometimes I’m guilty of it, you can lose sight of the position you’re in and the fact you’re living your dream. I think it’s possible to play with a smile on your face tomorrow. All of those things (excited, nervous, and focused). But I think excitement probably should be the dominant one,” Morgan said the pre-match press conference, reported AFP.
“Everyone is excited to play this semi-final. The fact that through the group stages getting to this stage looked unlikely, or was called into question, makes it even more exciting for us. We’re probably more confident than we were three games ago, we’re a different team."
Having beaten Australia 10 out of the last 11 times they’ve met in the ODI format, England have recent history on their side. However, the defending champions have looked a formidable side at this World Cup in all departments. Their comprehensive win over England at Lord’s is a clear testament to that fact. Morgan admitted that the back-to-back losses in the group stage bruised their confidence levels badly.
“The loss against Sri Lanka hurt us. I don’t think we were playing anywhere near our best cricket, there was a hangover from the Sri Lanka game. It feels like we’re back to the team we are,” Morgan signed off.
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