Eoin Morgan believes the momentum and belief is now firmly with his England team as they prepare for their winner-take-all clash with Australia at Southampton today.
The stand-in skipper is confident the dramatic three-wicket victory over Michael Clarke’s men at Cardiff on Saturday can be the turning point for even greater achievements.
England squared the series thanks to a dramatic and explosive 65 not out by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler to ensure the series goes down to the wire.
Photo: AFP
“We can go into that match with real confidence and the feeling that we have a chance to win the series, and we must grab it with both hands,” Morgan said. “If we win the fifth game then it will have been a very successful summer, not just for the Ashes team, but also the limited overs side. So it is a big match for us.”
“We have so much potential and ability in this ODI squad. It’s a very young squad which just needs time to develop and really show its skills,” he said.
“Winning a game like we did today will give the guys an enormous lift. The dressing room was very lively and excited at the end, and you want to it to be like that,” he said.
Buttler kept his nerve to get England over the line after coming in with his side struggling on 144-6. They needed 84 more runs from just over 11 overs, but then he and Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes turned the tide in England’s favor with some flamboyant strokes.
“It was a world class innings from someone we all know can hit the ball very hard and a very long way. Jos always has the potential to win matches in that way. But this was such an important victory. Now we have the chance to win it in Southampton on Monday [today],” Morgan said.
Stokes fell for 25 near the end, but needing seven from the last over Buttler crashed the winning runs with a boundary off Mitchell Johnson.
“That’s what I am in the side for. To get the team over the line when things get tight. We had a lot of hard work still to do when I came in and things did not look great, but you always back yourself,” Buttler said.
“My timing and selection were spot on and things went my way. Now we really want to finish it off on Monday [today],” he said.
Vice-captain George Bailey hit 87 to ensure Australia had set England a decent target, but the match was in the balance until Buttler’s big hitting performance.
Michael Carberry and Morgan both hit half centuries to raise hopes of a possible win after Aussie paceman Clint McKay’s stunning hat-trick.
The big fast bowler was called into their side as a late replacement — and then left Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Joe Root embarrassed when England set out to chase down Australia’s 227 all out.
Pietersen was undone by a swinging delivery which trapped him LBW, but both Trott and Root were guilty of bad shots and getting themselves out.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood on Monday sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool to leave the English Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title. Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the American Express Stadium. Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before halftime, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma leveled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch. Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. The Reds have lost at
Logan O’Hoppe, Taylor Ward and Matthew Lugo homered, and the Los Angeles Angels spoiled Clayton Kershaw’s season debut, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 on Saturday night to take the first two games of the three-game series. Kershaw allowed three runs and threw 38 pitches in the first inning. The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner lasted four innings, giving up five runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Shoulder, toe and knee injuries limited Kershaw to seven games last season, and his 2025 debut was delayed as he recovered from multiple offseason surgeries. O’Hoppe had two hits with
RSS