England captain Eoin Morgan thrilled by ODI series win over New Zealand
Saturday 20 June 2015 21:29, UK
England captain Eoin Morgan was thrilled by the three-wicket win over New Zealand at Durham that sealed a 3-2 ODI series win.
After rain delays, the hosts were set a Duckworth-Lewis target of 192 off 26 overs. A disastrous start saw them fall to 45-5 before Jonny Bairstow stepped up with 83no to secure a victory that Morgan believes could have an impact on the upcoming Ashes series.
He told Sky Sports: "I'm sure over the next few days it will sink in. There's been some incredible cricket played over the five games and all credit to New Zealand. They've played some fantastic cricket.
"We've come out of left-field with a new-look side. Joe Root, Jos Buttler and various names have put their hands up on various days. Jonny Bairstow was no different today – he was incredible. It was probably our worst batting display of the series and he won us the game.
"Everything that's happened in this series is stuff we've strived for over the last couple of years and it hasn't quite happened. With this group of players, it's turned things around and the attitude and skill level has been extremely high against a quality side.
"The support at Durham has been magnificent and as we've got around the country we've managed to deliver some entertaining cricket which is pretty rewarding for an England fan.
"There's a great feel-good factor going around cricket that started in the Test series. It regained interest and let's hope we maintain that going into the Ashes and it makes a little bit of a difference to the result!"
On his own performance, Morgan added: "I had an immensely dry spell before this series which was disappointing but given the style of cricket we want to play it's important I lead from the front.
"I managed to make some contributions but it wasn't only me – it was a huge squad performance throughout the series."
