Eoin Morgan thrilled with "really good headache" after much-changed squad impresses

The tourists rested several of their white-ball stars after an unprecedented year that has provided little time for rest

Eoin Morgan praised England’s raft of debutants and fringe players after his much-changed squad clinched a series victory against New Zealand in a thrilling final match at Eden Park.

The tourists rested several of their white-ball stars after an unprecedented year that has provided little time for rest.

Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, Jason Roy, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow all played crucial roles in England’s World Cup win, before featuring in the subsequent Ashes series against Australia.

Moeen, Stokes, Buttler, Archer and Bairstow had all also taken part in the Indian Premier League prior to the beginning of England’s summer, which began with ODIs against Ireland and Pakistan.

Thus, of that group, only Bairstow was called upon to join an experimental squad for the five-match T20I series. He had initially been left out of the Test squad for the two games that follow, but will now join up as injury cover for Joe Denly.

As a result, there have been debuts for six players, with Sam Curran, Lewis Gregory, Pat Brown, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Banton and Matt Parkinson all making their England T20I bows.

Curran and Gregory both played all five games, while Brown played four times, Banton and Mahmood on three occasions and Parkinson twice.

^{Tom Banton showed glimpses of his huge potential}

“It creates a really good headache for us when it comes to selection,” Morgan reflected of the impact of his crop of young stars.

“We are further ahead than we thought and the guys on this tour who will probably miss out on South Africa (at the beginning of next year) have raised that benchmark for guys who come back in.

“They are now almost expected to score runs and expected to do well because of opportunities given and taken by these guys.”

Banton offered glimpses of his immense potential in all three games, without going on to make a huge score – almost a necessity, given England’s strength in depth at the top of the order.

Parkinson, perhaps, is closest to a berth in England’s strongest squad, especially given the fragility of Adil Rashid’s shoulder in recent times. Morgan, therefore, will have been pleased with how the Lancashire leg-spinner fared, picking up five wickets in just six overs.

His brand of wrist-spin – slower and more flighted than the likes of Rashid Khan and Imran Tahir – means that he is always likely to be targeted by batsmen, even more so with the inviting boundaries of some of New Zealand's grounds. His economy rate of 10.16 was no doubt impacted by New Zealand’s attempt to chase England’s 241 in the fourth encounter.

Brown, for the most part, was impressive as he displayed his range of variations that have landed him a deal with Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash.

^{Chris Jordan bowled an almost impeccable Super Over to clinch the win for England}

Mahmood, meanwhile, was far from his best during his first two outings – expensive and often wayward. However, he was England’s tightest bowler in what was, in essence, a final at Eden Park.

Gregory, perhaps, is the man about whom England learned least. Clearly positioned in the finisher’s role, he had few opportunities, while his bowling was only utilised for four overs. With the bat, he faced just 19 deliveries.

In the case of Curran, it seemed almost bizarre that the allrounder – so effective as a counterattacking left-hander in Test cricket – had never played a T20I until now.

In the last game, he highlighted his capacity as a potential finisher, but struggled with the bat until then. With the ball, on the whole he fared well, with his angle generally nullifying his lack of real pace.

Of England’s other fringe players, it was a terrific series for Dawid Malan, whose six fifties in his first nine T20I innings place him in a league of his own worldwide.

An overall average of 57.25 at a strike rate of 156.31 may well make him undroppable for England’s tour of South Africa, even as many of the big guns return.

The same can be said of Chris Jordan, who missed his first T20I since the end of the 2016 World T20 when he was rested for the third match in New Zealand.

Clearly a part of Morgan’s plans in the shortest format, he reaffirmed his importance with bat and ball in the decider, striking 12 off three balls to take the game to a Super Over, before closing the game out with a series of yorkers.