London: The stage is set for the 2019 World Cup final as cricket is all set to get a new champion on July 14. But a day before the summit clash England skipper Eoin Morgan reminded that a year ago to the day, England were knocked out of the football World Cup semifinal.
England have a habit of chocking in knockout games, and Morgan knew it very well. So he doesn't want his team to go overboard. He refused to answer the million-dollar question: Is the World Cup trophy coming back home?
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“If you had offered us the position to play in a final the day after we were knocked out of the 2015 World Cup, I would have laughed at you,” said Morgan.
“Yes, it’s been a process. In 2015, we were way off the mark, we struggled against 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, the ECB (English Cricket Board), the backroom staff, as players we have taken that as far as we can so far,” the 32-year-old explained.
“I wouldn’t get too carried away yet. It is obviously a very exciting time for everybody and ourselves included. I think giving ourselves the opportunity for Sunday’s final is brilliant. We’ll be giving it everything we can in order to try and win that game,” he said.
Being the host nation England will have the advantage of playing the final at familiar conditions of Lord's, but with advantage comes the pressure of expectations. If England manage to outwit the pressure they will have the opportunity to lift their maiden World Cup title.
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“I think Sunday is not a day to shy away from. We have created the opportunity to play in a World Cup final,” Morgan said. “New Zealand, throughout the tournament, has been the hardest side to beat.”
From losing to Bangladesh in 2015 World Cup group stage to being the No. 1 ODI side and making their first World Cup final in 27 years, England's cricket has seen a major change in terms of team spirit and performance as they emerged as the world's best in a four-year period. A World Cup title clinch on this Sunday will be the culmination of their clinical display of cricket off late.
