Fearless captain’s cavalier innings shows his England side are no longer cowed by a canary-yellow onslaught in one-day cricketEoin Morgan had tipped the raucous Eric Hollies stand here to be one of England’s chief assets before their encounter with Australia. As the captain signalled the charge that would eventually dump their rivals out of the Champions Trophy, the army of assorted bananas, gorillas, Mexicans and Nintendo characters duly responded. Related: England’s carefree Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes ensure Australia exit Related: Ben Stokes universally praised after Champions Trophy ton for England Continue reading...
Morgan’s bowling changes and attacking fields have England in a positive frame of mind in the Champions Trophy and almost everything has gone according to plan - so farIt would be daft to get too excited at England grabbing their semi-final slot days before anyone else. This does not guarantee a romp to the final and then the trophy. But the current climate makes a change to the agonising postmortems that accompanied England’s early flight home from the 2015 World Cup.The margin of New Zealand’s defeat in Cardiff – 87 runs – was misleading. After 30 overs of their run chase the Kiwis were 156 for two in pursuit of 311; Kane Williamson, after some early scares, was cruising with...
England’s loyalty to low-scoring opener could end soon and the hosts will need a more varied bowling attack in Champions Trophy matches to comeThere is no better time for an honest review than after a flawed victory. England have a win under their belts against Bangladesh and by 6pm on Thursday it was all reassuringly straightforward. But earlier there had been disconcerting moments and some of them took place before the match began.The first ones came with the teamsheet. Might Jake Ball become the new Gary Ballance? These two are very worthy cricketers. But in the 2015 World Cup the selection of an out-of-form Ballance for England’s first match came to personify the insecure safety-first instincts that were to bedevil...
England’s white-ball buccaneers start against Bangladesh on Thursday aiming to capture the hearts, minds and disposable income of the massesOver to you then, Morgs, Stokesey, lads. No pressure. Just remember to play without anxiety, without pressure and without the fear of losing. Particularly – and this is very important – when you’re most anxious, when the pressure is on and when you really can’t afford to lose right now.After a buildup of unusual intensity the Champions Trophy is upon us, with England’s team of white-ball buccaneers kicking off things against Bangladesh at The Oval on Thursday morning. The early signs are of course good. Players, coaches and surrounding hierarchy have had a distinct unity of purpose about them for the...
India are likely to face their stiffest opposition from South Africa, England and New Zealand in defence of the title they won at Edgbaston four years agoCoach Darren Lehmann Related: Everything up for grabs for England in the quickfire Champions Trophy | Vic Marks Related: England deserve Champions Trophy favourites status under Eoin Morgan | Vic Marks Continue reading...