England taking Champions Trophy extremely seriously: Eoin Morgan

England skipper Eoin Morgan is very excited as the build-up to the ICC Champions Trophy has begun. England, along with the top 7 teams of the world cricket, will be competing for the second most prestigious global event in ODI cricket calendar. Being the hosts of the tournament, the pressure on the English side is bound to soar high. Also, they fell short from the ultimate glory in the previous edition of the tournament.

It was the MS Dhoni-led Indian side that had toppled the English team in the finals in 2013 in their own backyard to lift the silverware. Now, Eoin Morgan is keen on taking his side to the title triumph this year. As per the recent quotes in the official website of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ecb.co.uk), Morgan has remarked that they are taking the tournament very seriously.

He noted that the format of the tournament has made it all the way tougher. If the team combinations do not work out straight away, they end up being knocked out. Playing in such fixtures helps to cope up with the pressure among the team members. Morgan cited that the Champions Trophy is tougher than the World Cups.

“We are taking it extremely seriously. It’s actually a lot tougher than the World Cup. Maybe in the World Cup, you can ease into it and get away with a slow start to build your momentum into the latter stages. The Champions Trophy is a different kettle of fish, it’s so ruthless. You play three group games and if you don’t succeed straight away, you’re knocked out,” quoted Eoin Morgan.

“That’s beautiful to play in because we don’t play a lot of tri-series where you play in must-win games. It’s an aspect that we need to develop in our team and I think this is going to be a great competition to do that under pressure,” he added further.

Adding further to his point, he said that the team is ready to win the tournament. He says that one might think that the claims he is making are rapid shots in air but in reality, the belief is pretty much there with the team at the moment. He expressed his excitement for the tournament and said that playing in global events always peps up the English camp. Considering the brand of aggressive cricket they have been playing in the recent times, England will be the team to beat in the tournament.

“The target is to win the Champions Trophy and I think this team is ready to do that. We are getting to the stage where the team is going into every game feeling we expect to win and want to win. It sounds very simple to say, but the confidence we have built over the last couple of years has allowed us to build on performances and series wins,” said the English skipper.

“We are able to say we are happy to take it on. The brand of cricket we play is the way you need to play to win tournaments like the World Cup and Champions Trophy. There is no reason why we can’t. I’m very excited. The response we have had from our supporters has been outstanding over the last two years. I think the brand of cricket we have played has been really engaging and everybody around the country has got behind us,” Morgan conceded further.

Lastly, he concluded by calling the event as a major one for the team. Being the hosts, they will thrive under pressure. Also, the tournament is like a mini preparatory ground for the all important World Cup. The team morale is high after having won their previous ODI fixture against West Indies with ease.

“We have felt that massively and I hope it’s no different this summer. It’s a big tournament for us, it’s something that we have strived to prepare for and hopefully, we will do well to build towards the World Cup. There is a great vibe around the team, the team spirit is fantastic, particularly after the West Indies tour. It was an outstanding tour – we were successful on the field winning 3-0 and we did a lot of team bonding off it,” concluded Eoin Morgan.