BLACKJACK EOIN TOOK ONE GAMBLE TOO MANY

Shane Warne called it right when he said Eoin Morgan was a gambler. What he didn’t say was whether Morgan was a good gambler, the difference being that the latter, at least on the Blackjack table, know when to stick.

This interchange on Sky’s TV commentary came just before the 48th over of Australia’s innings, chasing England’s 303 in the deciding match of the one-day series. At that point, from an improbable 73-5 in the 17th over, the Aussies needed 21 runs from 18 balls with two centurions, Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey, at the crease.

From seeming an impossibility an Australian win now looked likely unless England could take wickets. Pace was available in the form of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood or Tom Curran, but Morgan, invoking the gambler spirit Warne had identified turned to Rashid. It proved a master stroke, the move goading Maxwell into attempting a sprint to victory by blasting the ball for six after Carey had swept a single of the first ball of the over.

Twice Maxwell heaved for glory, top-edging for two before holing out at short third man. It was reckless and unnecessary and it gave England a real sniff of pinching a win especially when Archer had Carey, the other batsman ‘in’ on the pitch, caught at third man during the next over. Suddenly, from a cruise, Aaron Finch’s side needed ten runs off the final over with only the tailenders to get them. But who to bowl it?

Again Warne called it, his bias for the powers of leg-spin knowing no bounds. England had won the second match of the series against the odds after Morgan had superbly marshalled his bowlers who also did well in defending a low score of 231. Morgan played down his role in the win but the plaudits will have emboldened him despite him overseeing last year’s World Cup victory.