Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Eoin Morgan: Selection for England's ODIs in India is no 'consolation prize'

Written by 
Published in Cricket
Monday, 22 March 2021 04:50

Eoin Morgan says his eyes are set firmly on the bigger picture after England's 3-2 series defeat in the T20Is against India, with the opportunity to develop consistency and grow his team's pool of available players being his primary motivation going into the three-match ODI leg of the tour in Pune on Tuesday.

Despite their crowning glory at Lord's in 2019, Morgan acknowledged that England's record in ODIs since the World Cup final has been "average", but insists that this week's series is not merely a "consolation prize" for the tourists after their losses in both the T20Is and the Tests that preceded it.

In September, Australia condemned Morgan's 50-over team to their first bilateral series loss since their last tour of India in 2016-17, and in August, Ireland chased a record 329 to seal a memorable seven-wicket win at the Ageas Bowl. In all, England have won four and lost four of their completed ODIs since 2019, and had their most recent series, in South Africa before Christmas, cancelled without a ball being bowled.

In mitigation, England have not been able to call upon their first-choice XI in ODIs since the World Cup, with the constraints of Covid on the one hand and the prioritisation of the forthcoming T20 World Cup on the other leaving the 50-over team as more of a developmental squad. Ben Stokes, for example, has not featured in an ODI since his Player-of-the-Match performance in the World Cup final.

This week's squad will be weakened by the absence of Jofra Archer, whose troublesome right elbow is undergoing further treatment, while neither Joe Root nor Chris Woakes - two other integral members of the World Cup-winning XI - are currently involved in the 50-over squad due to the ECB's rest-and-rotation policy.

And as consequence, Morgan called on the fringe members of his squad, in particular, to embrace the learning opportunities in "alien conditions", both to push their names forward for the T20 World Cup in October, but also for England's long-term goal of defending the 50-over crown in India in 2023.

"We'll see guys given opportunities, more so than the T20 series," Morgan said. "It's going to be exciting, three games at the same ground against a very strong Indian side is a huge opportunity for everyone to get back out there, in the frame of mind and the pace of 50-over cricket, and for guys who want to make their case in both formats.

"With a World Cup around the corner, playing any cricket is a huge opportunity for guys who have been here on the fringes and not made selection so far. When you score runs or take wickets away from home, there is always a huge incentive to try and push your case forward."

The one player in England's set-up with the most to prove in the coming days is arguably Moeen Ali. He sat out the entire T20I series, despite having missed the final two Tests last month to prepare for the white-ball campaign, and has taken a solitary wicket in ODI appearances since losing his place in the starting XI during the 2019 World Cup.

Though Morgan was unable to confirm whether he would be a guaranteed starter in Tuesday's first match, he insisted that Moeen remains an integral member of England's white-ball set-up, and that the set-backs that he has endured this winter - including a positive Covid diagnosis in January that undermined his comeback to the Test team in Sri Lanka - had not reduced his importance to the team.

"He takes them in his stride," Morgan said. "The little period Mo spent at home before this series has done him the world of good. He has come back refreshed and with plenty of energy. He is a very relaxed guy who always has a reasonable perspective on life and sport and the role that it plays within society. So he is travelling really well.

"Anybody who is an all-rounder and makes the squad is extremely valuable to our side," he added. "I know he has not played but that's been circumstantial. The pitches we played on just haven't turned and that obviously limits the contribution a finger-spinner might make in the game."

Reece Topley, who made his ODI comeback against Ireland last summer, is another player who may be able to advance his case for October, having also been a non-playing member of the T20 squad this week, while Liam Livingstone - with his versatility as a spin-bowling allrounder - could come into contention for a middle-order berth, four years after his last England appearances.

"We see the 50-over format between the two T20 World Cups as a building block for our squad," Morgan said. "And that's not compromising performance at all. We feel we have an extremely strong squad outside of our final XI regardless of format, so it will present opportunities for guys like that.

"Trying to envisage where 50-over cricket will be in three years 'time is quite difficult," he added, of the challenge of planning ahead to 2023. "So the challenge for us is always trying to explore and push the limits as much as we can, given the conditions.

"In conditions that are a little bit alien to us, like India, it's nice to get out of your comfort zone and learn more about your team and your players, to make mistakes and learn from them."

Reflecting on the disappointing end to England's T20I campaign - in which India overturned a 2-1 deficit with back-to-back victories in the final two games - Morgan said that the experience had still been invaluable for his side's development, and that the urge to avenge that loss was not really a motivation for his team in the coming days.

"Even though we didn't pick up the trophy, we learned a huge amount," Morgan said. "It has been an extremely productive tour so far in white-ball cricket, the biggest picture always being the World Cup in both white-ball formats. You don't always have to win every series in order to win a World Cup. You continuously need to get better, need to be tested as a side, need to fail in order to learn. That involves losing, which isn't fun but it is part of the journey."

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. He tweets at @miller_cricket

Read 266 times

Soccer

FIFA donates $50m for Qatar World Cup legacy

FIFA donates $50m for Qatar World Cup legacy

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFIFA launched a $50 million legacy fund for social programmes on We...

Guardiola sorry for self-harm remark after draw

Guardiola sorry for self-harm remark after draw

EmailPrintManchester City boss Pep Guardiola has apologised for suggesting he wanted to hurt himself...

Guardiola's new Man City deal means nothing if stars don't sign extensions, too

Guardiola's new Man City deal means nothing if stars don't sign extensions, too

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester City did the easy part by having manager Pep Guardiola s...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

KD, Beal return as Suns' big 3 leads rout of Lakers

KD, Beal return as Suns' big 3 leads rout of Lakers

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHOENIX -- Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant each scored 23 points and...

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI -- Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for Tues...

Baseball

Champion Dodgers adding Snell, sources say

Champion Dodgers adding Snell, sources say

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFree agent left-hander Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers have...

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- A full postseason share for the World Series champion L...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated