Even as an Australian, I have to say England are a great watch in one-day cricket. When they are playing well, I am not sure what you can do to stop them.
Because their batting line-up goes so hard at you, you'd like to think you always have a chance of taking wickets.
You just have to retain a belief as a bowling group that you can make inroads by being disciplined and implementing plans to the best of your ability.
When this England side are playing well, I am not sure what you can do to stop them
England try to push the envelope and always ask: 'Why can't we score at 10 an over?'
But when someone like Eoin Morgan plays the innings of his life, that might not be enough. People will say of his 148 this week: 'It's only Afghanistan.' Quite frankly, though, they're not a bad team.
It's more about the mindset of Morgan's team. They have decided to push the envelope.
England don't target a score, but just go out to get as many runs as they can. Whereas teams in the past set a goal of what they believed to be enough, this England side challenge conventional thinking. They are always asking: 'Why can't we score at 10 an over?'
They're always striving to get to 400 or 500, as opposed to 250.
I'm with them on this. If you target 250, the chances are you are going to get… maybe… 250. Even thinking that way imposes a limit. It drives me nuts when commentators say: 'What's a good score on this surface?' How about 3,000?
There is no ceiling to England's play, and combined with belief and trust, that is very powerful
If you know the average score at a particular ground over the past three years, use it as a guide. But it bugs me when people come up with a total based on their opinion.
Morgan, a man who always likes to challenge convention, is not someone who is ever going to settle for what's happened in the past. He wants to push himself and see where his team get to.
There is no ceiling and that, combined with the belief and trust in what they are trying to do, is very powerful.
Morgan is a dangerous batsman, but it's in his leadership where he truly excels. Last summer against Australia, Adil Rashid hadn't fired, but Morgan brought him on to bowl at the death. That said a lot about him.
Many captains would not have trusted a wrist spinner who hadn't bowled well — but it showed the belief he has in his players and the team he has developed.
It's no surprise that Rashid has thrived in the one-day arena under Morgan.
Knowing Adil as I do, it's important for him to feel he's supported and that's why England have seen the best of him.
