Metamorphosis of attitude in Eoin Morgan's manner

Eoin Morgan is playing with a new-found freedom since the abysmal 2015 World Cup campaign

In cricket, leadership is all about the decision taking ability on the field. Every great decision takes place in the shadow of fallibility. That, in the end, is the essence of leadership. Leaders are always walking the tightrope between success and failure. One minuscule error while making a decision and they are toast. That win-and-lose metaphor gives leader its USP: its own particular force and vividness.

It would be easy to image Eoin Morgan as a pirate, terrifying genteel passengers on a cruise liner with his weapons and audacity. England’s limited-overs captain has been in splendid form against the Australians starting with the one-off T20 at Cardiff and fought single-handedly in the controversial 2^nd ODI at Lord’s.

Looking back, it is strange to think that it has been only five months since he cut such a disconsolate figure at the 2015 World Cup. Australia’s bowlers might think he is a bully, riding roughshod over them and trivializing their offerings. But he is not a bully either because they are, inherently, cowards shying away when someone bigger comes along.

Over the last year, Morgan has taken on the quickest of bowlers in demanding circumstances and sometimes he has won and sometimes he has lost. But he is willing to take on the bowlers and conditions, not afraid to lose. And that is not a quality a bully possess.

There is a secret to his fearlessness, a trait that resides in all those who are happy to live with risk; or indeed risk as most of us perceive it. Morgan is not afraid of getting out. It does not mean he is lackadaisical or that his batting is reckless. It is just that his mind is free from the fear of the defeat. And as most of us would have seen in our own lives, the moment we contemplate to defeat, we open doors to it.

I am sure he is aware, like most of us are, that in the pursuit of success, failure is always a neighbour, a bystander waiting to jump in. But the more we look sideways at this neighbour, the less we look ahead. Morgan has shown this extraordinary ability to not worry too much about it.

Now Morgan has the team he wants and is playing under coaches who understand the tempo and tactics of the one-day game. To see Morgan’s enthusiasm and ambition is to wince at the way in which English cricket allowed the one-day game to melt away on the back burner for more than two decades following the 1992 World Cup, when they reached the final.

Just when it looked as if they could not stoop any lower, England were knocked out of this year’s world cup in Australia and New Zealand at the group stage – a performance that would ultimately cost Peter Moores his job as coach. Morgan’s average in the showpiece tournament was 18 from 5 matches and since then, he has scored 322 runs at an average of 64.4 from the same number of matches. But then, he has always been like this.

I also suspect he is being given the space that every captain needs. Inherently, captains need to be happy souls – a trapeze artist worrying about his job will probably find the safety net. Morgan and his team have been given the licence to play fearless cricket by this England management. And he seems to be carrying this freedom with a touch of gravity because it can be a thin line between bravery and recklessness.

For Morgan to find out how far his ability can take him, he must have the freedom to play in his style, and this team, through its composition and attitude, is giving him this freedom. More importantly, it is Morgan’s raw passion and gusto that seemed to be defining each of his innings. Looking at him, one felt that he played for the sheer joy of it all. He has both the brutal force to create a big shot out of nothing and also the finesse to place the ball between the two fielders.

But Morgan’s vision extends beyond the field of play. He is a big advocate of rest and recuperation, having taken a month off before the Cardiff match to clear his mind and reconnect with the buccaneering style that lit up England’s 3-2 win over the New Zealanders.

His 39-ball 74 at Cardiff, including seven sixes, suggested he had timed his return to perfection. Part of his attraction is his willingness to speak the not-so-comfortable truths to a system that has not always been keen to listen. And he will have no problem keeping this ODI side on its toes as England seek to build towards the 2019 World Cup.

It is ironic that ever since he became the captain of this England side, he has spoken positively about playing one-day cricket as fearless as one can play. That’s a statement only a few can give and accomplish. The foundation of his cricket is not just about his batting, his astute cricketing brain or his undeniably good luck. It is his belief in his own abilities that has brought him thus far. That is why it is a great game – because it has room for all kinds, including Morgan.