Morgan steps closer to Ashes place
England batsman Eoin Morgan has taken one step closer to a place in the England Ashes squad after a fine century against Pakistan.
Morgan finished day one of the first test match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 on 125 not out and has probably done enough already to seal a test place against the Aussies this winter.
Obviously there is a long way to go in the current series against Pakistan but the selectors would have been looking for a century from Morgan. He has given them what they asked for and though in the second day he didn't do as well, he's certainly sent a message to England's selectors.
The manner of the way Morgan played will convince many people he is the better choice of Ravi Bopara who also has many admirers. However, Morgan has now set the standard for himself and it's important that he plays to that standard consistently.
An effficient display
Morgan came in at a crucial time during England's first innings when the top order had started to wobble. The ball was moving off of the seam and swinging around violently but the middle order player dealt with this tremendously and played some flamboyant shots.
There were fears that he had been caught behind when he edged the ball through to Kamran Akmal, only for the ball to bounce before hitting the wicket keepers gloves.
Morgan played with a calmness and an authority that has not been seen from an England player for a very long time. He now stands a very good chance of going on and breaking some records against Pakistan because it seems as though he could bat forever based on his display Thursday.
He said: "I impressed myself today and I'm really happy with my performance. I'd like to be with Paul in the trenches. He's a gutsy cricketer and a guy I admire. He gave it a bit of flight and guile and I took advantage. I was delighted to bring it up in that fashion [Shoaib Malik]."
The Standard Has Been Set
Morgan has now set the standard for himself for the rest of the series against Pakistan. When an England player gets a big hundred, he immediately jumps to the front of people's minds as they look for a figurehead player.
Every time he now walks out to bet for England people are going to be expecting a big score. This creates pressure but Morgan does look like the sort of player that can take this in his stride and fight off any criticism.
He added: "It's my first game using it [the review system], I didn't see any problems with it today. But there are going to be days when it doesn't go in your favour. It's a dry pitch and it's starting to deteriorate so the more runs we get on the board the better position we'll be in."
Betting advice
Morgan's odds on being the highest run scorer in this series will have shortened. However, there are some very good players who did not have a bad day on day one of the test match who could match his runs tally by the end of the series.
The better and safer option could be to back Morgan to get another hundred later in the series. This is more likely to happen and you should still get some good odds. Also take advantage of any specials on offer because there may be a bookmaker who puts up odds for Morgan scoring a hundred during the Ashes in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. Don't be afraid to back him here either because he has shown the quality he possesses.
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