That England have a problem of plenty when it comes to spots in their T20I squad, is well documented.
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England skipper Eoin Morgan has termed exposure to T20 leagues as one of the prime reasons behind the solid performances of players in the national setup. The English squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup will certainly be tough to pick for selectors, considering the presence of some of the best in the business. No. 1 ranked T20I batsman Dawid Malan made an impact in the recently concluded final T20I against Sri Lanka, with the likes of David Willey and Chris Woakes impressive as well. Alex Hales has been scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket.
“Yeah, I would,” agreed Eoin Morgan (when asked if competition for spots in the England T20 team was more intense than was it was during the 2019 World Cup).
“And I think that’s down to guys being able to play in competitions around the world and being in high demand. It really does help guys deal with any pressure or level of expectation, coming in to play in our side at the moment. Yes, we’ve had this for a number of years now but it’s been playing in a different format, with guys that are bringing transferable skills from Chennai to England, Mumbai to England, Rajasthan to England. Same format, and they’re comfortable playing it,” added Morgan.
“If everybody was fit, I don’t think there are many [spots] nailed down. There’s probably half a dozen nailed down. There’s a significant period of time. We’re dealing with experienced guys within say the 17 or 18 that have been involved. There are guys playing in the Hundred like Tymal Mills who could easily present a case. He is an outstanding bowler, and we’ve always been in communication with him, wanting him to get fit, play as much cricket as possible, and leave him alone until the World Cup comes. Playing for Sussex, given the journey that he’s been on, on a regular basis, is way better for him than trying to get fit for sporadic T20 series through the year. He’s a good example along with a few other guys that could present a really strong case throughout the Hundred,” he stated.
Morgan was full of praise for Willey and Woakes, admitting that they had presented extremely strong cases.
“They’ve presented extremely strong cases – everything we’ve asked of them, they’ve achieved. It’s always difficult coming in when you’ve not been involved for a period of time – probably harder for Chris than Dave. Dave was involved [in the squad] last year, but there is a level of pressure that comes with coming into a very strong side. I think both have taken their opportunity. I think both offer different things, [Willey] the left-arm swing angle and I suppose both of them bowl with the new ball as well which is the only similarity that they have,” said the England skipper.
Morgan stated that there is no clarity over whether England would go in with a full-strength team for the white-ball games against Pakistan in July.
“Obviously we have a couple of niggles at the moment. Jos is out currently. Calves are sometimes difficult to come back with, it depends how they present themselves in the first week, so we’ll be constantly monitoring that. Certainly at the moment, it’s not a priority that Jos is 100% fit for the white-ball stuff that we’re coming through, given the cricket he has coming up with Tests, T20 World Cup and a possible Ashes down the line, I think there are other priorities that he needs to be fit for,” he concluded.
