Wednesday 24 June 2015 12:43, UK
England’s transformation from World Cup ignominy to one-day success represents a remarkable turnaround, says Nasser Hussain.
Eoin Morgan’s side followed up their 3-2 ODI series victory with a 56-run Twenty20 international success over New Zealand as Joe Root top-scored with 68.
The achievement comes a little over three months after England exited the group stage of the World Cup having been beaten by Bangladesh.
“It’s remarkable how quick the turnaround has been,” former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.
“I always thought there would be a turnaround in English white ball cricket, but it’s been remarkable how quickly it has happened.
“They’ve selected well. Where were some of these guys in that World Cup? Where was Hales, Roy, Willey, Stokes, Wood?
“But it’s not just that. The combination of Paul Farbrace and Eoin Morgan should take a lot of credit for what we’ve seen in the last three or four weeks.”
Root’s runs lifted England to 191-7 off their 20 overs – a total that looked under threat when Kane Williamson, the player of the ODI series, was at the crease.
But when he was run out for 57 off 37 balls by David Willey’s direct hit, New Zealand’s quickly folded to 135 all out.
“There’s a lesson to anyone watching, young or old, that you don’t have to be built like Chris Gayle,” reflected Hussain.
“Joe Root and Kane Williamson were the two standout players today; you can still be a touch player in this format and you can still play proper cricket with the odd bit of invention thrown in.
“Nowadays, these guys are brought up on T20 cricket – they even play a lot of Twenty20 in second team cricket. So any young player coming into a side will have been brought up on those unorthodox shots – they are not unorthodox to them.”
Former Black Caps wicketkeeper Ian Smith said the dismissal of Williamson “pretty much summed up New Zealand’s day”.
“It was a great piece of work by David Willey, who had a good day out,” he said.
“England had three or four opportunities prior to this and missed but the big fast bowler didn’t miss from cover. That was the end.
“Nathan McCullum had just come out and he wanted to get Williamson back on strike. But if New Zealand were to win the game, Williamson had to face the most deliveries.”
England seamer Mark Wood was the pick of England’s attack, finishing with 3-26 off three overs, and David Lloyd said he’s impressed with how well the 25-year-old has slotted in.
“When a lad comes into county cricket and he bowls so quickly, it goes around the circuit – and eventually the selectors have got him into the team.
“He’s inventive; he doesn’t mind bowling wide of the crease. He’s learnt very quickly. He looks an athletic lad; he’s skiddy. He bowls 88-90mph, he gets his yorker in.
“He’s slotted straight into this England team. He’s an uncomplicated bowler and an athletic cricketer.”
