Morgan proud of 'one hell of an achievement'

Cricket365
September 4, 2013

Captain Eoin Morgan basked in Tuesday's Man of the Match peformance, after England romped to a six-wicket win over Ireland in their one-off ODI in Dublin.

The Irish posted a formidable 269 for seven on the back of skipper William Porterfield's telling ton. His innings was later usurped, though, as Morgan's 124 not out and an unbeaten 101 from all-rounder Ravi Bopara ensured victory with seven overs to spare.

"Centuries at number five are few and far between. Not many people do it. You have got to be happy seeing the innings out and contributing at a reasonable rate. Then Ravi has got a hundred coming in behind me at six. That is one hell of an achievement," said Morgan, who led the side in the absence of regular skipper Alastair Cook, who has been rested.

"It was very satisfying, particularly getting over the line. We had a long way to come and we didn't really adapt to conditions but when we got a partnership going it was easy to score. We all play on wickets like this every day of the week."

The Irish-born Morgan was booed en route to the crease, but ultimately received a standing ovation from the capacity Malahide crowd in the wake of a record-breaking, unbroken 226-run partnership alongside Bopara.

"It was mid-afternoon in Dublin. I still love the place, always will. I have enjoyed my day. I have won a trophy here with this club and it was a fantastic feeling. I love this area, it is a fantastic part of Dublin. To get a victory like that and perform the way we did was very satisfying," added Morgan.

England's next assignment is a five-ODI series against Australia. The first match will get underway at Headingley in Leeds on Friday. Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Southampton will host fixtures two, three, four and five respectively.