Fun-damental for England

Despite pressure ahead of the final, England’s ‘enjoy game’ approach makes them favourites in the World Cup.
England will be playing in their fourth World Cup final | AP
England will be playing in their fourth World Cup final | AP

It was June 30, a day before England were taking on India in Birmingham. Not a must-win match going by calculations, but practically speaking, it was a knockout. Having lost thrice already, another would have pushed qualification beyond their control. Eoin Morgan kept using the word ‘enjoy’ in every other sentence. “It’s important to win and enjoy the moment.” “It’s an opportunity to play against a top team and enjoy ourselves”. “There will be a lot of India fans and that will make the atmosphere more enjoyable.”

Eleven days later in the same venue, after leading England into a World Cup final after 27 years, the captain was using the same word again. “As a team, we’ve learnt to enjoy ourselves, particularly days like this.” “We’ve created the opportunity to play in a World Cup final. We’ll try to produce everything that we can performance-wise but enjoy the day.”

Other than radically changing their philosophy of playing one-day cricket after another World Cup debacle in 2015, this is perhaps the most significant change in a country that sometimes took things too seriously and analysed too much. Sure they feel the heat, but the way this England teams plays gives an impression they are not under undue pressure. They attack from the start batting first or second. They didn’t change the plan against India and it was the same when they were chasing a smaller target in the semifinal.

After beating Australia, when asked about an earlier statement that he wanted his players to play with smiles on their faces, Morgan said: “Absolutely. Everybody out there on the field and in the change room loved every ball that was bowled. There was no lack of commitment and we had a bit of a day out which is cool when it happens like that.”

Not that previous England teams lacked quality, but they seemed to get overwhelmed by the occasion at times and wilted under pressure. Under Morgan and the set-up put in place by the England and Wales Cricket Board, that mindset has changed. Other than the bat-big approach, this psychological transformation has been a feature of England’s transition.

“It’s been a process for the last four years. In 2015 we were way off the mark, we struggled against the top teams, and the teams that sat below that, so there was quite a drastic change in the way we played and the way we looked at playing our 50-over cricket. That has worked out extremely well for us and given the support that we’ve had throughout, as players we have taken that as far as we can so far,” said Morgan.

It shows in the way they play. When England lost their first wicket in the semifinal chasing 224 to win, they needed 100 more in more than 32 overs. The asking rate was below three. And still, Joe Root came out and hit a flurry of boundaries. In comparison with others in the team, he is more conservative in approach, who takes a bit of time to get going. 

Him shedding inhibition and going for it from the start shows the mental makeup of the team. And not as if this ‘go after them’ is an order. It’s a manner of playing which is usually followed up by some enjoyment if the situation permits. Game for a beer or putting them on ice? Morgan was asked after beating Australia. “We’ve earned a beer or a glass of wine, definitely.”

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The New Indian Express
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