SM
Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid: 24 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

We can't afford to get 'frustrated and upset', says England captain Morgan

:Headline: We can't afford to get 'frustrated and upset', says England captain Morgan: ID:352126: from db_amp
The tourists suffered a crushing defeat in the fifth one-day international to draw the series.

England captain Eoin Morgan refused to let emotion get the better of him after a crushing defeat at the hands of the West Indies, insisting he would not indulge "the blame game".

The tourists were torn apart in unforgiving fashion in the fifth one-day international, bundled out for 113 in St Lucia before Chris Gayle's latest masterclass of power-hitting hurried the hosts over the line in just 12.1 overs, an unwanted new low.

The winning margin was officially seven wickets, but that scarcely begins to tell the story of England's capitulation. Across both innings the number of scheduled deliveries that went unbowled was an astonishing 358.

Victory would have secured a 10th successive series for England – a proud record interrupted by a standalone loss to Scotland – but, instead of underlining their status as World Cup favourites, they drew 2-2 and laid bare their frailties.

Morgan, though, did his best to take the heat out of his post-match analysis.

"Guys need to have quite a logical objective outlook on today's game. If we get frustrated and upset and start to throw things around the changing room that's a defeatist attitude and a blame game, which is not what we're about," he said.

"It was pretty much a one-horse race and we didn't deserve to win the game. It was a terrible batting performance which is a disappointing way to end the series, but I would like to think we could learn from our mistakes and look forward rather than back."

Gayle's devastating onslaught after the turnaround made England look somewhat silly, with the veteran motoring to 77 in 27 deliveries and striking nine more sixes to extend his record tally in the series to 39.

But there is no doubting the game was sacrificed by the batsmen. They never began coming to terms with a springy surface, repeatedly beaten by extra lift off the pitch as the West Indies' tall pace attack made hay.

Morgan, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes all fell to mis-hit pulls, while Alex Hales and Joe Root were caught after failing to get on top of cuts.

Morgan, who predicted low, slow turners on arrival in the Caribbean, accepted his side had proved unable to evolve their approach when presented with the opposite.

"Extra bounce is not something we come up against very often. We struggled massively to adapt," he said.

"It was evident from the first two overs...you could see it from the changing room. We just didn't adapt. We need to get better when we come up against different conditions. It was a surface that we rarely come up against and we found it extremely difficult to score without taking quite a big risk."

Gayle was the rightful man of the series, scoring 424 runs in four innings at a strike-rate of 134.17 and doling out some truly exceptional entertainment.

Plans to retire at the end of the World Cup are beginning to look ill-timed, despite the fact he turns 40 in September.

"Everything stands as it is, but you'll just have to wait and see," he said.

"My mindset is that, even when I'm 60, I'll still think I can do it. I'll still think I can score runs against the best bowlers in the world. That will never change, it's just the body which is always the worrying part for me.

"It's been an honour to wear the crest and entertain the people around the Caribbean as well as the people abroad."

amp_article__352126 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-03-02 21:06:42:
html db last update - 2021-02-24 17:38:37 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

England in West Indies - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Eoin Morgan

Click here for more stories about England

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .