As England triumphed 4-1 over Australia in the ODI series, just under three years since their humiliation in these parts at the 2015 World Cup, they reminded the world just how this team has grown in that time span. From a team that exited the last World Cup so meekly to a team that has scored 350 in an innings nine times (when it had only happened two times previously), the transformation has been extraordinary.
England’s captain Eoin Morgan has been at the epicentre of the rejuvenation, his bold attacking philosophy and tactical nous in the field has seen England rack up the best winning percentage (65.52%) and runs scored per over (6.24) in ODIs since the 2015 World Cup.
Winning percentages since World Cup (min 20 games)
- England – 65.52%
- India – 64.15%
- South Africa – 63.83%
However, just as the team continues to grow, so do questions surrounding his place within the side. His performances at first glance look respectable. No other middle order player has scored as many runs (1,962) as him since the Word Cup, and only two players have more centuries (4) than he has. And even on a personal note, his strike rate (95.19) and average (42.65) over this period are up on his career totals of 88.13 & 37.57 respectively.
Dig a little deeper though and you can see that Morgan seems to be struggling to keep up with how quickly the game has moved on. While he has scored the most runs from the middle order, only Ross Taylor has faced more balls, 2,175 to Morgan’s 2,061, and his strike rate puts him 16th on the list of the top 50 middle order run scorers since the World Cup. His average is only good for 13th on the list, behind England team mates Ben Stokes (47.17) and Jos Buttler (44.9).
Strike rates since World Cup (min 20 innings):
- Jos Buttler – 123.62
- Glenn Maxwell – 116.62
- AB de Villiers – 112.18
16. Eoin Morgan – 95.19
Averages since World Cup (min 20 innings):
- Ross Taylor – 59
- AB de Villiers – 56.21
- Angelo Mathews – 47.48
13. Eoin Morgan – 42.65
No middle order batsman has scored more boundaries than Morgan’s 227, 61 more than then the nearest man Ross Taylor and only AB de Villiers has a better boundaries per innings rate, 4.56 to Morgan’s 4.54. But while Morgan continues to hit boundaries, he does so at a slower rate in terms of balls faced. His percentage of boundaries per balls faced (11.01%) is good for ninth place of the list, behind team mates Buttler (14.48%), Ali (12.58%) and Stokes (12.09%).
Boundaries per innings since World Cup (min 20 innings):
- AB de Villiers – 4.56
- Eoin Morgan – 4.54
- Glenn Maxwell – 4.49
Boundaries per balls faced percentage since World Cup (min 20 innings):
- Glenn Maxwell – 15.45%
- Jos Buttler – 14.48%
- Kedar Jadhav – 13.76%
9. Eoin Morgan – 11.01%
His conversion rate is also falling behind his team mates in the middle order. Despite getting to 50 sixteen times, he’s only been able to convert four of those knocks into centuries. Jos Buttler has the same number of centuries for England as Morgan, but has a much higher conversion rate.
50 to 100 conversion rate for England since World Cup:
- Jos Buttler – 36.36%
- Moeen Ali – 33.33%
- Eoin Morgan & Ben Stokes – 25%
It seems harsh to criticise a man who has been so influential in England’s one day performances but you can’t help but feel that Morgan is falling behind the pace and standard that he has set. And while you cannot doubt the hand he’s had in the growth of players such as Buttler, Stokes, Ali & Hales with the bat, it seems now that the pupils have outgrown the teacher.
A view from the boundary 