Michael Vaughan: Morgan the best in the world

England Cricket / Michael Vaughan / 01 September 2011 / Leave a Comment

Eoin Morgan is a fantastic improviser and one of the great exponents of the reverse sweep

"I think this England ODI outfit will improve over the next couple of years and perhaps the man most central to all this is Eoin Morgan. For me he’s the best middle-order batsman in the world, bar none. People talk about his temperament and power but for me his greatest asset is that he can score in every single area of the pitch."

Michael Vaughan tells us why he rates Eoin Morgan as the best middle-order batsman in ODI cricket and who he's backing to win the upcoming ODI series against India.

England added a T20 victory to their Series whitewash and MS Dhoni will be scratching his head wondering how he's going to beat England in any format at the minute.

Jade Dernback bowled superbly on Wednesday night and Eoin Morgan was the difference with the bat. If it hadn't been for his knock at a time when England were losing quick wickets and threatening to lose their way in a tough run chase, India would have won the game.

For all of the criticism aimed at England after a disastrous ODI Series out in Australia and a crushing defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, we shouldn't forget that they remain extremely strong at home and it's been a long time since they lost a Series at home in the 50-over format.

There are two main areas they need to really work on though, if they're to become as competitive abroad as they are at home. The first is that the guys who get starts go on and score hundreds. It sounds an obvious thing to say but all too often we've seen English batsmen play themselves in, get to 50 or 60 and then get out. I was guilty of that myself during my ODI career and despite plenty of chances to get to three figures, I never managed to do so. A set batsman who's in sees the ball so much better than one who is new to the crease and finds it so much easier to score and to do so quickly. The guys at the top of the order who get starts have to go on and convert them, the way that players like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Mahela Jayawardene have been doing on a consistent basis throughout their careers.

The other area that needs improvement is the variety of the bowling. Varying line and pace is crucial in taking wickets and keeping the run rate down. Once again, it's hardly rocket science but it's not something England have done often enough and well enough and the introduction of Jade Dernbach to the team has been important in this respect. We saw him clean bowl Praveen Kumar with a beautifully disguised slower ball in the T20 match and it's a fantastic weapon to have at your disposal, particularly at the death.

I think this England ODI outfit will improve over the next couple of years and perhaps the man most central to all this is Eoin Morgan. For me he's the best middle-order batsman in the world, bar none. People talk about his temperament and power but for me his greatest asset is that he can score in every single area of the pitch. There are 360 degrees on a cricket field and he gets runs in every single one of them. Bowlers try to vary the areas and angles at which they bowl at him and he'll still improvise a shot that allows him to find a gap where there isn't a fielder. Kevin Pietersen is a wonderful player but most of his runs in ODIs come on the leg side and you defend that area with well-placed fielders you can actually negate his scoring. Not so with Morgan.

Despite all that I'm actually backing Ian Bell to finish as the Series top batsman. With Pietersen rested for these matches Bell will bat at 3 or 4 and will face enough balls to go on and get some really big scores. We saw in the Test series that once he got in, he really cashed in, and I'm hoping he can repeat that in the shorter format. Morgan will probably carry on batting at 5 and whereas he'll probably finish the Series with an incredibly high average, Bell at [6.5] is the man I fancy to score the most runs.

As for the winner, England are an extremely confident selection at [1.76] to win the Series.

4 pts Back England to win the ODI Series @ [1.76]
2 pts back Ian Bell to be England top series batsman @ [6.5]

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Michael Vaughan: Morgan was the right choice

England Cricket / Michael Vaughan / 25 May 2011 / Leave a Comment

Eoin Morgan hits out during his fabulous knock of 193 for the Lions that resulted in him getting the nod over Ravi Bopara

"There were two good reasons as to why Morgan got the nod. The first was obviously to do with that majestic 193 he scored against Sri Lanka for the England Lions last week. Bopara was very much in the driving seat prior to that but despite playing no four-day cricket for a long time Morgan came to the crease and delivered when it mattered, in front of the men who mattered."

Michael Vaughan tells us why England were right to go with Eoin Morgan over Ravi Bopara ahead of the First Test.

It was a tough choice that Andrew Strauss and the England selectors had to make but in the end I think they got it right. It appeared to be a straight shoot-out between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara for that middle-order slot that belonged to Paul Collingwood for so long and in the end they decided to go with the Irishman.

There were two good reasons as to why Morgan got the nod. The first was obviously to do with that majestic 193 he scored against Sri Lanka for the England Lions last week. Bopara was very much in the driving seat prior to that but despite playing no four-day cricket for a long time Morgan came to the crease and delivered when it mattered, in front of the men who mattered. The fact they gave so much importance to that innings also highlights the importance of doing well when you're called up to play for the Lions. Counties don't like it when their players are called up to play for them but, as far as I'm concerned, what matters most is the England cricket team. If players occasionally have to turn out for the Lions for the selectors to have a look at them, so be it.

The second reason is that Morgan hasn't had any failures in Test cricket. He hasn't played much but he's done well when he's been given a chance and, of course, the same can't be said of Bopara. He's been in and out of the side for a while now and being dropped time and again can't be any good for your confidence. I suspect he'll get at least one more chance in the Test arena to show us what a talented player he really is but I fear it may be his last. The Morgan selection is a bit of a gamble in the sense that Bopara has been bowling quite a few overs for his county recently and could provide a useful fifth bowling option, especially when that super India batting line-up come to town. But, all in all, I agree Morgan should have been the one getting the call-up.

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