Eoin Morgan sat in the makeshift press conference hall at the tennis courts inside the Lord’s complex. An unforgettable Sunday was ebbing away amidst whoops of delight outside from the excited fans. He kept the World Cup trophy next to him and it sparkled in the light.
The host captain’s eyes were moist, England had just edged past New Zealand in a classic final and the skipper was overwhelmed. He lauded his squad, empathised with Kane Williamson’s men and stressed that it was time to celebrate. Excerpts
A special moment
To me and to the team, and everybody who has been involved over the last four years, it means absolutely everything. The planning, hard work, dedication, commitment and a little bit of luck today really got us over the line. It’s been an incredible journey. Right from the beginning of the tournament, regardless of our performance, people believed and I am very thankful for that.
Disbelief
I still can’t quite believe, that is why I am carrying it (the cup) around as much as I can. I can’t believe we got over the line. It has been an extraordinary day. The most incredible game of cricket with nothing between the sides. Sport sometimes is about fine margins. It was the finest of margins but I am thankful it went our way.
The Black Caps
I commend the Black Caps and Kane, they have been incredible. The fact the trophy is sitting here is because we got the rub of the green. New Zealand, throughout the group stages, was absolutely outstanding and in the semifinal was very ruthless against India. They compete against the very best and they do it in a fashion that you would have no qualms in turning around to your kid and saying, “Please idolise these guys, they are very admirable.”
Super Over
I encouraged them to smile because it was such a ridiculous situation. To play in a Super Over at the end of an extremely draining day, takes a huge amount out of you, so it was about remaining calm. Jofra (Archer) was pretty easy. We were trying to keep it simple and bowl yorkers until he bowled that short ball, so it was about reaffirming what he was trying to do and he was doing a great job.
Luck and its charms
I spoke to Adil (Rashid), he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the rub of the green. It actually epitomises our team. Quite diverse backgrounds and cultures and guys have grown up in different countries and to actually find humour in the situation we were in, it was pretty cool.
