Eoin Morgan assesses England’s World Cup chances after ‘crushing defeat’ to New Zealand

Former skipper says he is more disappointed by England’s bowling than by its loss to New Zealand

Former England captain Eoin Morgan during Captains’ Day prior to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023 (Getty Images)

Eoin Morgan is still confident England will “lift the trophy” despite their “crushing defeat” to New Zealand in the opening game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Defending champions England did not have the best start to their World Cup campaign as they were outplayed by the Black Caps, who won the game by nine wickets at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.

In a column released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Morgan wrote about England’s nightmare outing against New Zealand.

Having spent plenty of time with many members of the current squad, the former skipper feels the English side will have “a lot of calm heads in the dressing room”, but also honest conversations in the aftermath of the drubbing.

The English side, led by Jos Buttler, managed to score just 282 runs in 50 overs after being asked to bat first. The greatest number of runs were scored by Joe Root, who managed a personal score of 77 from 86 balls.

New Zealand chased down their target with ease as they lost just one wicket, sealing the game with 82 balls remaining.

Morgan believes even if the English side had scored 30 runs more in the first innings, they would have still lost because they didn’t bowl well enough to defend it – and that is something “harder to take” than the result itself.

England’s poor bowling allowed Rachin Ravindra, who was playing his maiden World Cup game for New Zealand, to become the youngest New Zealand batter to score a World Cup century.

New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra celebrates after scoring a century (AFP via Getty Images)

The all-rounder hit five sixes and 11 fours in his knock of 123 not out off 96 deliveries. Ravindra put up a second-wicket partnership with Conway, who remained unbeaten on 152 runs off 121 balls.

‘Complete faith in England’

Despite the drubbing, former England skipper Morgan still believes his countrymen can go all the way to defend their title as “one defeat will not derail their campaign”.

“I tipped England to win the competition in the build-up and I still have complete faith. Nothing about today’s performance worries me when it comes to believing they can win the trophy,” wrote Morgan in the ICC column.

“The advantage of having this format is that one bad day doesn’t ruin your tournament, when previously one bad day could have you home within a week. I still think they can and will win this World Cup.”

Matthew Mott, Head Coach of England and Jos Buttler of England interact following the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup India 2023 between England and New Zealand at Narendra Modi Stadium on 5 October (Getty Images)

The Ireland-born cricketer captained England to their maiden 50-over World Cup win in 2019, in which they defeated New Zealand in the final. The fate of the match, which was eventually decided on boundary count, is regarded as one of the greatest One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in the history of the sport.

During the 2019 World Cup, England lost three out of their nine matches, yet lifted the trophy in the end.

“Eight of this squad were there in 2019, when we lost three group stage matches on the way to lifting the trophy, and they will definitely lean on that experience. There is no side that goes from start to finish at a World Cup without experiencing some sort of adversity, whether it’s losing games or having hiccups within games themselves. This will be no different,” said Morgan.

England took the field against New Zealand without all-rounder Ben Stokes, who had played a pivotal role in their successful World Cup campaign four years ago.

Stokes missed the opening game due to a hip niggle and Morgan suggests the explosive hitter’s return “will be key” in England’s quest to bounce back. The World Cup-winning skipper believes Stokes “breeds confidence and belief” and makes an exceptional impact on the dressing room.

England will next go against Bangladesh on 10 October in Dharamshala.