Eoin Morgan the outsider has changed the DNA of English one-day cricket | The Spin

England have gone from World Cup stragglers to the most exciting white-ball team around, and much of that is down to the captain

Eoin Morgan is a liar, a bluffer and an outsider. They are three of his greatest qualities. In the last three years Morgan has developed into a captain of rare brilliance, with a style that resembles the great Michael Vaughan. Both brought fresh eyes and independent thought to an apparently impossible challenge – beating Australia, in Vaughan’s case, and winning a World Cup in Morgan’s.

Unlike Vaughan, Morgan has never really been taken to heart by the public. It’s hard to be certain what constitutes public opinion these days, but theere is a strong sense that plenty of England fans still think the team would be better without Morgan. An alternative take is that the whole thing falls in a heap without his leadership, and that he does not get anything like the credit he deserves. He probably needs to win the 2019 World Cup for that to happen, yet it shouldn’t be contingent on that. In changing the DNA of English cricket, Morgan has already achieved something extraordinary.