CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand – On the plus side for Eoin Morgan, his England squad now has a winning record at this Cricket World Cup against countries that aren’t hosting the tournament.
After heavy back-to-back losses to co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, England were under intense pressure in their Pool A match against Scotland at Christchurch on Monday.
Scotland had never beaten England in a One-Day cricket international, but was confident after giving New Zealand a scare and had no hesitation in sending the English in to bat after winning the toss.
Moeen Ali came to the fore, scoring 128 and sharing a 172-run opening stand with Ian Bell, who scored 54, to set England on course for a big total of 303 for eight.
He picked up two wickets, and Steve Finn recovered from the battering he took against New Zealand to take three for 26, as England bowled Scotland out of 184 in 42.2 overs to secure a 119-run victory.
“I don’t think there was ever a state of panic,” said Morgan, who ended his own lean streak with the bat by scoring 46 from 42 deliveries. “Obviously we had two hard games and the fact that we didn’t perform was most disappointing.
“But a win just puts things a little more at ease. It gives guys a little bit of confidence, even the guys who didn’t perform today will benefit from guys who have had a little bit of success today.”
England had some wobbles against Scotland, with Ali, Gary Ballance (10) and Joe Root (1) all dismissed within the space of ten balls, but Morgan held the lower order together with partnerships of 49 with James Taylor (17) and 45 with Jos Buttler (24) until he was dismissed in the last over.
Scotland started confidently in reply, with South African-born opener Kyle Coetzer making 71 runs and hitting 11 boundaries, but the loss of early wickets derailed the run chase.
England 303-8 in 50 overs (Moeen Ali 128, Ian Bell 54, Eoin Morgan 46. Jos Buttler 24, James Taylor 17, Gary Balance 10; Josh Davey 4-68). Scotland 184 in 42.2 overs (Kyle Coetzer 71, Preston Mommsen 26, Matthew Cross 23, Majid Haq 15; Steve Finn 3-26, James Anderson 2-30, Moeen Ali 2-47). England won by 119 runs.
