Eoin Morgan Says India T20 Series Last Chance for England ‘Strongest Team’ to Prepare for ICC T20 Men’s World Cup | Cricket News

Captain says England’s World Cup hopes can take a big step forward in the series in India with role definition and game plans high on the agenda; Morgan says India will start the World Cup as a favorite, but this series offers England a great opportunity to learn more about subcontinent conditions

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Captain Eoin Morgan says T20 series against India crucial for planning England T20 World Cup

Eoin Morgan says England’s policy of rotating players in tests is “a very small sacrifice” that allows him to lead his strongest T20 team against India in a World Cup year.

England fell to a 3-1 defeat in the five-day series in which Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali all spent time at home on scheduled rests due to the crowded nature of the schedule. international matches this year.

All three return to the squad for the first of five T20s on Friday – matches that Morgan says are crucial to England’s development and preparations for the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup in India in October and November.

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“Yes, they are definitely our strongest team available and it’s great to have everyone here,” Morgan said in an interview with Michael Atherton of Sky Sports Cricket.

“It’s very rare that we get to do that. Our last tour of South Africa was a bit of a fluke in the way the program worked – there was a before and after break for the guys who play all formats. matches.

“After this tour, I don’t see any other opportunity given the timeline to bring our strongest team together. So preparation and role clarity – gel as a team and be comfortable with the plan. game that we’re going to have for the World Cup. with – is going to be extremely important.

“I guess the changes that will be made will be a result of what we learned both on this tour and what we gathered from our experience in 2016 when we got to the World Cup final.”

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He added: “To be honest, from a captain’s perspective, I very rarely get our strongest team together, so for him. [Root] not having your strongest team for a streak is a very small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things given the bio-secure bubbles, timing, and the pinnacle of winning an Ashes Away From Home streak. “

The England and Wales Cricket Council has stressed the need to rotate multi-format players at a time when the match load is complicated by the complexities of ‘bubble’ life brought about by the pandemic COVID-19.

At the same time, the ECB will allow the 13 English players under contract to play in this year’s Indian Premier League to take part in the entire tournament – allowing even their biggest stars to miss the first test of the summer if their franchise was still in contention to win the IPL.

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The Indian Premier League has played a crucial role in enabling England players to develop their white ball game, Eoin Morgan says.

Morgan insists that the opportunities for players to improve during the IPL outweigh the risk of burnout.

“For starters, I don’t think the IPL is going anywhere – it’s the biggest and most successful tournament in the world,” he said.

“As the white ball captain planning the World Cups, certainly over the past five years we have used and benefited tremendously in the development of our players and the confidence we have built in the locker room at guys like Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler go there and are MVPs and bring the knowledge they learned into our locker room.

“The international calendar is what it is – it seems to cover the majority of the time in and around the IPL. We’re seeing other boards around the world almost opening that window as well.”

England enter white ball streak against number one-ranked India in the ICC T20 and One-Day International Rankings, with Morgan’s men aiming to add the T20 world title to the crown later this year 50 more than they won at Lord’s in 2019.

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England white ball captain Eoin Morgan has said India’s total strength at home means they will start the 2021 ICC T20 Men’s World Cup as favorites.

But in India, the tourists face a team that haven’t lost a T20 series in seven and have only been beaten once in their last 11 games, forcing Morgan to admit that with the home advantage, they are “without a doubt” England’s main challengers for T20 World. Cup title.

“India are going to enter the World Cup as a favorite – and I think it is justified,” said Morgan, who reiterated his desire to lead England not only in the T20 World Cup this year. year, but also in the next edition in 2022.

“They’re a really strong team, especially at home – they also have a lot of depth in their squad and have all the bases covered. We’re on a different path right now than we were going at the 2019 World Cup. of 50 years.

“Although we are number one in the world, we are exposed a bit far from home and I think that is perfect as we still have seven months before the World Cup and this very important learning series to to play.

“A lot of guys have fond memories of the 2016 World Cup in India when we came into the final and had different conditions.

“The conditions on this pitch will be as tough as we will be in at the World Cup. It’s exciting in a way, but also it will be difficult.”

Watch England’s T20I series of five matches in India live on Sky Sports. Our preparation for the first match starts at 12:30 p.m. Friday on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event.

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