It was ‘home advantage’ for Pakistan in Cardiff: England captain Eoin Morgan

England skipper Eoin Morgan believes that the reused pitch at Cardiff helped the visitors more than the home team

Pakistan defeated England in the first semi-final of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 to make it to the finals of the competition. While it was an impressive all-round performance by Pakistan, England skipper Eoin Morgan believes that the reused pitch at Cardiff helped the visitors more than the home team.

“I don’t think there was any home advantage. We knew that we were going to play on a used wicket at some stage in this tournament, and we found out the other day that today was going to be on a used wicket. I think, going into today’s game knowing that we were going to play on a used wicket potentially brought Pakistan’s game closer to their home. So it was a big challenge and one that was too far for us,” Morgan was quoted as saying by The Telegraph UK. Also Read- Pakistan edge out formidable England to enter final

“We left ourselves short today adapting to conditions. It’s a big frustration because I think we’ve played some great cricket in this tournament so far, and we weren’t anywhere close to it today,” he added.

However, the England captain was all praises for Pakistan bowlers and believed that they adapted to the conditions on offer better.

“I thought every partnership we had struggled to take the initiative to the Pakistan bowlers. I thought they bowled really well. They adjusted to conditions extremely well.”

Pakistan chased the target of 212 runs with eight wickets in hand after England were bundled out for a paltry total. Hasan Ali’s three for 35 from 10 overs was the standout performance while other bowlers did a fabulous job as well.

The winner of India vs. Bangladesh will meet Pakistan in the final on Sunday.