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 welcomes prospect of turning tracks as T20 World Cup auditions loom

Written by 
Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 10 March 2021 14:06

There will be no complaints from Eoin Morgan, irrespective of the conditions England encounter during the T20I series in India.

Morgan, England's limited-overs captain, accepts the tour is likely to prove "a challenge" for his players but, with a T20 World Cup to be played in India towards the end of the year, he knows it presents an excellent opportunity to gain experience in such conditions.

In particular, he is relishing the chance for his team to get to grips with playing on turning surfaces. All five matches in this series will be played on the Ahmedabad square which proved so helpful for spinners during the two Tests at the venue, so Morgan is anticipating - and welcoming - the prospect of low-scoring matches.

"We've been in great form in T20 cricket," Morgan said of his No.1-ranked side. "We've had some confidence along the way and picked up some serious wins over the last two years, which is great.

"But also we need to develop our game and go into a World Cup with as few weaknesses as possible. I think having the strongest squad available to us, which doesn't really happen that often, allows us to play around with any plans we might foresee using in the World Cup as well.

"I wouldn't say we're hoping for similar pitches to the Test series. I'd say [we're hoping for] turning pitches."

Morgan recalled England's experiences at the last World T20 in India in 2016, where his side progressed to the final in spite of an array of challenging surfaces along the way - not least in a close-fought contest at Delhi, where they survived a trial by Afghanistan's spinners to progress by 15 runs.

"Going back to the 2016 [T20] World Cup, we didn't necessarily play on big turners. There were some really, really low-scoring games - New Zealand turned over India and India and Afghanistan turned over West Indies on really dry surfaces - so depending on fixtures for the World Cup we want to go through that ourselves.

"We know when we play on a really flat surface, our batting department is equipped, our bowling department is still learning and it's more challenging the better the wicket we play on. But in low-scoring T20 games we do need to get better, so we're looking forward to the challenge.

"Day four or fay five [Test] pitches aren't going to be ideal playing a T20 game on, but a turning pitch like we witnessed in 2016 - where 120 plays 90; very low-scoring games in this day and age - it's an area we need more experience in because we've not played in a lot of games like that.

"Would we welcome the learning experience that extreme conditions could bring? Yes. It's not the sole purpose for being here, but we are going to use it that way.

"I think this tour is going to be a challenge for everybody - batting, bowling and fielding - but one that we're really looking forward to."

While Morgan is among those in the England squad to have suffered with sickness in recent days, he is hopeful of having a full squad from which to select ahead of the first game on Friday. That includes Jofra Archer, who had emerged as an injury worry with a recurrence of elbow pain in recent days.

"I wouldn't say I'm 100%, but I'm way better than I was five days ago," Morgan said. "And I am hopeful Jofra will be fit for the whole series. If the game was tomorrow he'd be fit. We obviously have two days of training to come through, but hopefully he's good.

"Obviously we're playing five games on the same ground. We don't know yet if we're playing on the same surfaces twice or a number of times. But I imagine our team selection will evolve as we see it.

"Game on game, if we think of anything that might arise down the line that we think is worth running through or simulating here, we'll do it. Everybody's available for selection."

Morgan also expressed his confidence in the bio-bubble put in place for the series in India, comparing it favourably with what he had witnessed in South Africa before Christmas when England abandoned their tour having lost faith in the integrity of the safety protocols.

"I think one thing we did learn [from the tour to South Africa] is probably that level of expectation, in terms of what was said would be achieved and the protocols adhered to, weren't necessarily monitored the whole time," he said. "So having a constant assessment of what is going on within the bubble and not taking for granted that things are being done [is important].

"Here and in Sri Lanka, from the feedback, everything is being done within everybody's power to try and restrict the number of cases. There's always been an instance where if there is a positive case, there is a way of dealing with it, where you can limit your exposure by being very diligent and disciplined.

"South Africa was a unique case. From the very first day the bubble was broken. They had a positive test and the guy had been integrating in their team and in our team. What followed, in terms of positive tests, there was a sense of inevitability about it."

George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

Read 257 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