T20 World Cup 2021: Nasser Hussain on how Eoin Morgan adds 'immense value' to England team

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has praised Eoin Morgan's tactical brilliance that helped the England cricket team defeat West Indies in a fashion during the T20 World Cup 2021 opener.

Morgan's recent form was a cause of concern, with many asking if it is time for the England captain to draw out. But Saturday's game showed the immense value that Eoin Morgan brings to his team in terms of his cricketing mindset and brilliance on the field as a skipper.

Writing a column for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain heaped praise for the English captain. "Losing four wickets in reaching the meagre 56 they needed for victory was the only thing that stopped it being 10 out of 10. There has been talk about Morgan’s position after a lean run of form, not least from the captain himself, but he showed his immense value to England with a tactical masterclass," Hussain was quoted as saying by The Daily Mail.

Eoin Morgan's belief in using data to aid decision-making pays off

He further went on to add that the captain used his bowlers really well and used them at the right time, pointing out two instances, the first when he bowled Moeen Ali upfront given that the West Indies top six has four lefties and the second when he took Tymal Mills off despite him bowling well and brought in Adil Rashid against Pollard and Andre Russel.

"It was a day for his belief in using data to be fully vindicated. Morgan saw four left-handers in West Indies’ top six and realised Moeen Ali would be a huge threat, so he bowled him early on" he said further adding on his decision to bring Adil Rashid to bowl to the two big guns "He held back Tymal Mills for Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, then made sure the ball wasn’t pitched up to them. And then, when Mills was taken out of the attack with those two still in, Morgan turned to Adil Rashid to attack the right-handers, and he dismissed them both".

England cricket team began their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign with a fashionable victory avenging their defeat in the 2016 final. The team will next face Bangladesh on Wednesday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Image: AP / Twitter @ICC