Morgan ready to drop himself as England prepare for World Cup
Eoin Morgan has said he is prepared to drop himself from England’s ODI team as they work towards next summer’s World Cup.
The limited-overs skipper has led the resurgence of England’s white-ball cricket and says no one place is safe as a raft of batting talent continues to vie for selection.
“When you drop yourself as captain it almost sets that example, that nobody’s place is cemented in this side,” Morgan told Sky Sports.
“If I’m not supposed to be in the team I’ll be the first one to say it. If it means making a tough decision I’m more than capable of doing that.
“It’s a brave call, but we’ve come a long way with this team. We need to put ourselves in the best position in order to be contenders. If that means I’m not good enough to be in the team, both as a captain or as a player… I’m a pretty honest guy.”
Morgan has dropped himself before: for England’s T20 decider against South Africa in 2017 he stepped aside to hand an opportunity to Liam Livingstone and Dawid Malan.
“In the past I’ve dropped myself to create opportunities for guys in order to see if they can play at international level or give them an extra chance to prove themselves,’ he said.
“We’re trying to build a squad of 16 or 17 guys to win the World Cup, that’s the objective. It’s not an individual trying to get runs, not an individual trying to get wickets. It’s a team collective and everyone needs to buy into it.”
England’s first ODI against Sri Lanka in Dambulla begins at 10am BST on Wednesday.
