England's World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan believes his replacement Jos Buttler had "one of his best games as captain" in the crucial T20 World Cup win over New Zealand.
Having already lost to Ireland, defeat against New Zealand would have all but knocked England out of the tournament. However, Buttler played a starring role in his side's 20 run victory to leave qualification for the semi-finals firmly within their grasp.
He scored an excellent 74 off 47 balls, cashing in after two drops, and also utilised both conditions and match ups expertly as he marshalled his bowlers brilliantly. "It was one of his best games as captain," Morgan told Sky Sports.
"In his 100th T20 international he really has stepped up. His batting would have had a huge impact to start with and that rubbed off in the field. His captaincy tonight was brilliant.
"Every opportunity he had to impact the game, he tried to take a wicket. He brings Mark Wood back into the game, starts with spin, rotates five bowlers for the first six overs.
"That doesn't really happen. He is using all his experience and he is flying high. I thought he controlled his emotions really well and made brilliant decisions."
Buttler experienced some initial struggles since taking over from Morgan, with England failing to win a single white ball series at home this summer, but former opener Nick Compton believes he has now found his feet as skipper.
"It's been a tough transition from Morgan," he told Sky Sports News. "Morgan was an outstanding leader.
"Jos and new coach Matthew Mott have taken a while to find their feet but they have grown in stature, found their patterns and what players are going to play important roles. I thought Buttler had one of his best games [in the win over New Zealand]."
