EOIN MORGAN AWARDED CBE IN NEW YEARS HONOURS LIST
Huge congratulations to Eoin Morgan, who finishes an incredible 2019 as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, having been awarded a CBE in this year's New Years Honours List.
In recognition of Eoin's achievement, Angus Fraser, Middlesex Cricket's Managing Director of Cricket, had this to say...
“It would be fair to say that 2019 has been a pretty good year for Eoin Morgan and the CBE he has been awarded is just reward for the contribution he has made to English Cricket. Huge credit for England’s World Cup success has deservedly been given to Sir Andrew Strauss, Trevor Bayliss, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, to name but four, but England would not have come close to winning the World Cup without Eoin’s hard work and commitment.
“Many people choose to believe that captaining a cricket team is all about tactics - bowling changes, decisions at the toss and field settings. Well, it isn’t. Those aspects are the nice, relatively easy and glamorous part of the job. The most challenging parts of the role take place off the field. The hours spent at home wondering how to react to a predicament. They involve managing people, sorting out issues, creating a culture/environment and then ensuring the group stick to it.
“When Eoin was invited to captain England, just before the 2015 World Cup, it was in the form of a hospital pass, and I should know as I was one of the people that threw the ball to him. England were an ordinary ODI side and we subsequently suffered humiliation in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“There were many who questioned whether Eoin should continue as captain after that tournament but those of us who had spent time with Eoin knew he was the right man to take English cricket forward. And it was after that World Cup embarrassment that his great work, alongside Trevor Bayliss, the England Coach, began.
“On numerous occasions during the next four years Eoin’s methods were criticised and challenged. They were even challenged by so-called experts during the World Cup itself. But Eoin and Trevor stuck to what they believed in. They trusted their players, they supported and showed loyalty to them even when they messed up. In the modern world, where everyone seems to have a view on everything, giving way to what appears to be popular demand can often be the easy way out of a testing situation. Remaining strong and defiant is challenging and stressful, and there were times when the pressure did take its toll on him. Yet slowly and surely Eoin turned things around and the decisions and investment he made gained their true reward at Lord’s on 14 July 2019 when England became Cricket World Champions for the first time.
“Eoin’s journey from Dublin to London, his development from a shy 16 year old boy that played 2nd XI cricket for Middlesex CCC into the man that lifted the cricket World Cup for England is almost a fairy-tale like story. It is a journey that everyone at Middlesex should be extremely proud of because we, as a club, have played an important role in it.
“Eoin is an incredibly loyal man but he does not suffer fools. He is also a private person that lets very few people into his inner circle. As someone who has worked closely with Eoin for more than a decade it is wonderful to see him achieve all the things he has. Seeing him recognised for what he has produced and speaking as he did at the BBC’s Sport Personality of the Year Awards, fills you with pride.
“So on behalf of everyone at Middlesex I would like to offer Eoin huge congratulations and we all look forward to him representing the club for many years to come.”
