Former England captain Eoin Morgan has thrown his weight behind Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott to remain England’s white-ball captain and coach after the recent T20 World Cup.
England headed into the tournament as the defending champions. However, they did not have a memorable campaign as they lost to Australia in the group stage, South Africa in the Super 8s, and India in the second semi-final.
Against India, they were bowled out for just 103 chasing 172 to win as Rohit Sharma and his players avenged their T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final defeat. The side has not been able to move ahead after the end of the tournament.
England’s Test side is currently playing a series against West Indies while the white-ball side is on a break. A few players are playing in the domestic T20 league that’s happening around the world. Morgan has meanwhile urged Buttler and Mott to continue in their roles in white-ball cricket.
“I do think Jos and Motty should stay on. Given they came into the tournament with the least amount of expectation, they made the semi-final and you have to acknowledge that. You shouldn’t take that for granted – it’s not a given you can get there, with the likes of Australia not making it and New Zealand being knocked out in the group stage. There were various challenges other teams couldn’t overcome and England did, so a lot of credit has to go to both of them in that instance,” Morgan told Melinda Farrell for Wisden Cricket Monthly.
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Morgan further said that the addition of Andrew Flintoff and Kieron Pollard to England’s coaching staff will help the coach and the captain to execute their plans well. He added that not beating the top-class white-ball sides would be a criticism for England in how they performed in the World Cup.
“The addition of Andrew Flintoff and Kieron Pollard in the backroom staff, I believe that’s aided both of them, and the team. It was a good decision to get them on board. One thing that will be flagged is that they only beat West Indies out of the Full Member nations but, still, they managed to get to a semi-final. So, for me, Mott and Buttler stay in their positions, particularly when I don’t see any obvious replacements. Giving them more time to get better and grow is the decision that should be made” Morgan further said.
England Need To Identify Next Generation Of White-Ball Players: Eoin Morgan
Interestingly, England entered the ODI and T20I World Cup as the defending champions but did not perform as expected under Jos Buttler. England lost six out of the nine matches in the ODI World Cup. They have also narrowly managed to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Morgan concluded by saying that with several senior players towards the end of their careers, England will need to identify their next generation of players in the white-ball format especially with the ICC Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup 2026 lined up.
“The likes of Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jonny Bairstow, guys coming towards the twilight of their career, a plan will have to be drawn up by the leadership group and the selector Luke Wright as to what’s the best way forward for the team. Who are their best talents going forward? Try and identify who can fill those roles” Morgan concluded saying.
England play three T20Is before playing a five-match ODI series against Australia in September 2024.
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