England captain Eoin Morgan has pointed out that he would be prepared to drop himself if he thought it would help the team win the T20 World Cup. Morgan’s form has been the subject of much debate ahead as the England captain managed 133 at an average of 11.08 in the Indian Premier League (IPL), although he led Kolkata Knight Riders to last week’s final.
Morgan led England to the 50-over World Cup title in 2019 and the final of the previous T20 World Cup in 2016 and remains happy in his role as skipper. Notably, Morgan was rested as Jos Buttler captained England in their seven-wicket defeat by India in Dubai on Monday.
“It’s always something I’ve said, that [being dropped] is always an option,” he said. “I’m not going to stand in the way of the team winning the World Cup. Obviously, I’ve been short on runs, my captaincy has been pretty good as it goes. But yeah is the answer.”
“I’ve always managed to compartmentalize both and treat them as two different challenges,” he added.
“Obviously not being a bowler and getting a bit older and not contributing in the field, I’ve loved the role of being a captain – two bites at the cherry when it comes to impact on the game.
“As regards my batting I guess I wouldn’t be standing here if I hadn’t come out of every bad run of form that I’ve ever had. And being the nature of T20 cricket and where I bat it means I always have to take my higher-risk options and I’ve come to terms with that.
“It’s just something you deal with, it’s the nature of the job, so I am going to continue to take those risks if the team dictates that they need them. If they don’t, I won’t.”
Morgan also suggested that the slightly expanded Super 12s format would give the best teams a greater chance, by lessening any “banana skin potential” before finding their stride.
“I think with the new format and the larger group as your first challenge throughout the tournament, I suppose you don’t have to be coming into the tournament as you think you might do in previous years, when one game might cost you qualifying,” he said.
