Eoin Morgan has been 'utterly central' to English cricket's World Cup win, according to the Daily Mail's cricket writer Lawrence Booth.
Lawrence joined Joe on Off The Ball to discuss England's victory, Eoin Morgan's captaincy and the state of the game across the country.
Eoin Morgan's story is an interesting one. His English Test cricket career ended several years ago, but the move towards prioritising the one-day game suited both the playing style and the temperament of Morgan.
"It was decided [after his Test career ended] that white-ball cricket was the way forward for him. He was given a hospital pass in the run-up to the 2015 World Cup when they sacked Alastair Cook, in a terrible piece of planning.
"He was given a side that wasn't really his, and did not play with the panache that he has instilled in them.
"He has been utterly central to all they have done. He has backed them all the way. Every utterance has been consistent with his idea that England have to attack and that is England's strength."
"Even the captain of the team - a Kiwi lad - found my call-up amusing. Well, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?"
(Clue: still him. This is why England can't have nice things.)@ciaranbrad discusses fair-weather cricket fandom after the #CricketWorldCup2019.https://t.co/N3bDPNa3V3— Off The Ball (@offtheball) July 15, 2019
Lawrence spoke about the extent of the acceptance towards an Irishman leading England's one-day side, after his close work with Trevor Bayliss.
"You talk of Bobby Moore winning in 1966, Martin Johnson in 2003 - well, Eoin Morgan can join that pantheon of England World Cup-winning captains.
"Importantly, among the people that mattered, there wasn't any grumbling [about Morgan's nationality].
"They could see Morgan for what he was - an incredibly clear-eyed, cool guy who knew what he wanted, and the authorities gave him the tools to carry out his plan."
Lawrence also expanded on the multiculturalism of the England squad that lifted the World Cup at Lord's on Sunday has been such a striking element of post-tournament conversation.
"[Morgan] feels very much part of a diverse English team. Jofra Archer was born in Barbados, Jason Roy was born in South Africa, Ben Stokes in New Zealand.
"Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali are British-born Muslims - Eoin Morgan mentioned that Allah was with them, and he wasn't saying it as a joke. He was saying it as a recognition that the English cricket team has always been a diverse hodge-podge of nationalities and cultures."
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