England last reached a world cup final in 1992 © Getty

It has been more than 27 years since the England men's team last made it to the summit clash of a 50-over World Cup and despite the 2019 edition being a home World Cup, not many would have given them a chance if their 2015 performance was taken into consideration. But they have made it as far as the last step towards the eluding glory, which speaks volumes of their growth in ODI cricket as well as the work that has gone behind it - Eoin Morgan being at the helm of it.

The pressure of a world cup final is a big thing in itself but the home support, that helped hosting nations India and Australia prevail in the last two World Cups, will keep England in good stead as they look to fill that empty cabinet reserved at their cricketing headquarters with a 50-over trophy. But they'll also need to reflect on their positive brand of cricket - which has become a benchmark in the 50-over format - that has served them well in the past four years, and approach the finale with the same sort of confidence and freedom that they have in the lead up to the finale.

"It means a huge amount to me and everybody in the changing room. It's a culmination of four years of hard work, dedication, a lot of planning and it presents a huge opportunity to go on and try and win a World Cup," said Morgan at the pre-match press conference. "I think for everybody around the country, the support we've had throughout has been unquestionable and that's - as a team, that is, you know, is makes you feel extremely lucky to be part of a team that has that sort of support.

"I certainly feel pretty relaxed. It is nice to be home. I'm also very excited about tomorrow. We're going to enjoy the game regardless. We're going to try and take in as much as we can, it's a world cup final, and we're not going to shy away from that. As long as anything doesn't affect performance, we're going to try and take it in," Morgan said, insisting that the magnitude of occasion won't be a distraction for the team.

While a clinical win over Australia in the semifinal will come as further confidence-booster for the home team, Morgan said seeking constant improvement is a key aspect for a successful side, which England will continue to attempt. "New Zealand are an extremely tough side, with a lot of experience, a lot of skill. They weren't the best side in the group stage and they improved, very similar to us, from the group stage to the semifinal performance. So we are striving to improve on our performance. No doubt they will," said Morgan, stressing that Kane Williamson's side are not to be taken lightly.

Morgan also reflected on the Brendon McCullum-led campaign in 2015 and the inspiration he took from the way New Zealand played and behaved in the game. The team of 2015 under McCullum was a different brand compared to the current New Zealand outfit and Morgan said individuality is a key essence for a leader which Williamson brings to the table.

"I think he has had quite a bit to do with it. You could say about world cricket," said Morgan when asked about McCullum's role in England's ODI development. "We are close mates and he's taught me a lot about leadership and I think in 2015 the way that New Zealand played, very similar to the way they are playing at the moment. They proved to everybody that you can perform at the highest level and get to the top by being yourselves and not trying to be somebody else, or a different team, or be somebody that is a bit of a novelty for everybody else, so that's quite cool.

"I think the two boys have two different styles of captaincy. I think that's important for any leader. I think if they are trying to be somebody else it's never going to work. You have to be yourself otherwise the messages that you give to your team, or anything you try and do isn't authentic and people spot that straightaway," added Morgan.

When it was pointed out that New Zealand were one of only two nations to have not scored 300 yet in this tournament, Morgan said therein lies the Blackcaps' strength as they have adjusted well to the conditions on English wickets that haven't been as high-scoring as they were in the recent past.

"I think in general throughout the tournament the scores have been a lot lower than they have previously been here in the last three or four years. Us adjusting to that has been harder work than it normally is. New Zealand have done it brilliantly and Lord's isn't ever a high-scoring ground so I'd say tomorrow isn't going to be a high-scoring ground so it will be a bit of a battle. They offer threats throughout with the ball and they're just a stable side with the bat. I think there will be times throughout the game tomorrow where it could be won or lost, but I think it will be a really good game of cricket," Morgan concluded.