Trevor Bayliss: ‘Morgs made England ruthless and test the ceiling of what was possible’

Trevor Bayliss and Eoin Morgan share a joke during the 2019 Cricket World Cup: ‘We’d be three or four down and Morgs would still go out there and take the game by the throat.’ Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

A chat with Trevor Bayliss about Eoin Morgan’s England retirement begins with a practically audible wry smile down the phone line when the former head coach brings up the Test team’s daredevil approach during the 3-0 win against New Zealand.

“The interesting thing will be when it doesn’t work and whether you blokes get stuck into them for playing too many bloody shots,” says Bayliss from his home in New South Wales on the day Morgan announced his news. “Even during the Ashes [last winter], the English commentators were saying their players were getting bogged down and needed to be more proactive, play a few shots. Mate, where was that the previous few years? All I got was: ‘They’re playing too many.’”