Watch 'On Top of the World: Eoin Morgan' at 8pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket
Saturday 20 July 2019 10:00, UK
"It was an extraordinary day and an extraordinary game of cricket."
In our show 'On Top of the World: Eoin Morgan' - which you can watch at 8pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket - the skipper offers his personal reflections on England's World Cup triumph.
Morgan not only gives us an insight into how the campaign developed game-by-game and his style of captaincy, but also provides in-depth analysis of the final and the contributions made by each player.
The 32-year-old reserves special praise for all-rounder Ben Stokes, man-of-the-match in the final, and vice-captain Jos Buttler whom he describes as "integral" to the team's fortunes.
"Jos is a huge leader in the changing room," said Morgan. "On the training ground, he and Ben Stokes are two of our best trainers; they train like racehorses. Some of the things they do are incredible.
"Physically, his level of skill is as good as I've ever seen and Jos' contribution to the team over the last four years is arguably the biggest, because he does things that nobody else in the world can do and then backs it up with a common goal of trying to win games, be a better team and continuously trying to be contenders for that World Cup."
Stokes (84no) and Buttler (59) combined for a crucial 110-run partnership in the final that rescued England from 86-4 following Morgan's dismissal, then returned to score a title-clinching 15 runs off the Super Over after the match finished tied.
"Right here and now, Ben is a pretty special cricketer," said Morgan. "I think what he can continue to do and get better over the next five to 10 years is such a blessing for English cricket.
"To have a character like that who has such a high skill level, who can contribute at any stage of the game in the field, with the bat and with the ball... but he also knows it. He wants to be at the forefront of everything we're doing."
In an extensive interview, England's captain covers a range of topics, including...
Choosing the Super Over batsmen
"I was quite conscious of sending a right and a left-hand combination out. Ben, being the 'in' man at the time - and he was playing beautifully - once he made his way up the stairs, I asked him how he was travelling and he could barely breathe. He just nodded. When he said 'yeah', it was a simple decision. Jason Roy was coming in next to start with, then it was myself. I changed it for the simple reason that I thought a left-hander would be more effective."
The Stokes deflection for six
"When the replay came up, I couldn't actually believe what I was seeing - I could not believe what had just happened. The amount of times that we'd handed New Zealand the game and then they handed it straight back to us - even in the previous over, the catch down here right where we were sitting; Trent Boult, one of the best fielders in their team, taking one step too many and the ball going for six. If Ben Stokes gets out then, that's the game."
His celebrations
"I was awake all night - and the majority of it wasn't due to alcohol - I was just so excited and buzzing about what had happened. The final was the most extraordinary game of cricket; I actually couldn't figure it out in my head. I tried to go to sleep but actually just sat up thinking about what had happened."
The legacy for the game
"The last few days since Sunday have been remarkable. Everybody I bump into has a story about how they watched the game or heard about Ben Stokes, England's new hero, or the fact that we just won the World Cup and that for me is so good because it makes cricket popular again. It's everywhere and that grows the game and creates a really good feeling about the sport. For me who loves the game, I'm delighted."
The legacy for the England team
"As a team, we'd like sides of the future to be not only considered a favourite or second-favourite going into a tournament - similar to Australia and India. We have changed the level of expectation through performance. I think if we continue to do that for a long period of time, I think everybody in the side will be very happy with what we've done."
His own future
"After every major tournament or challenge, I'll always sit down and say 'how does the future look? How does the next six months, year, four years look?' I actually haven't had a chance to come down off the high of the World Cup yet, so it's been incredibly difficult to make a logical decision and that's when I make my best decisions. Next week, I'm going away with my wife to get away from the game, in a really nice way. I'm absolutely knackered - physically and mentally knackered - I need a little bit of time away to consider everything.
"It's a big commitment - not only to go to the T20 World Cup next year, but to commit to the next 50-over World Cup. This last five weeks has taken so much out of me mentally and physically. My levels of fitness with my back have always been in question and it's not a nice place to be in as a leader. At the forefront of it will be 'can I take the team forward?'"
Watch 'On Top of the World: Eoin Morgan' at 8pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket.
