Darren Gough wants Eoin Morgan to take over England’s World Cup winners as coach after he steps down as captain.
And the ‘Dazzler’ says England will “take some stopping” in 2023, even on parched Indian pitches, after their super-over thriller a week ago ended 44 years of barren one-day footslog.
Morgan, the architect of a triumph which has reconnected a nation with cricket, has gone away to consider his future as captain, admitting he needed to escape the “madness” of euphoria to reach a pragmatic decision.
England managing director Ashley Giles wants Morgan to be fast-tracked into the Lord’s tracksuit regiment as part of the international coaching set-up.
Now Gough, second on England’s all-time one-day bowlers’ charts behind Jimmy Anderson with 234 wickets in 158 caps, has outlined his “dream ticket” for 2023 – with Morgan running things.
The sultan of Barnsley said: “For me, everything is in place for England to do well again at the next World Cup and win it.
“When you look back at the squad Eoin inherited in 2015, he identified the players who fitted into the style of cricket he wanted to play – six of them – and he built this team around them.
“Those six included Alex Hales, who wasn’t selected for this World Cup because of off-field issues, but he was also brave enough to get rid of six.
“He was brave enough to make some tough decisions, which is the mark of a real leader, by leaving out the likes of Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ian Bell, who have been such fantastic servants for English cricket.
“Now, I look down that team who won at Lord’s last week and at least seven or eight of them are going to be around in four years’ time.
“I know it’s a big statement when India are going to be the hosts in 2023, but now England have broken their duck at the World Cup, this team is going to take some stopping.
“Realistically, I don’t think Eoin is going to be around as a player – he’ll be 36 by the time the next one comes round – but it might be a good thing if he stays on as captain for a year or two to help with the transition.
“But, even better for me, would be to put him in charge of the one-day side as coach, the man who calls the shots.
“I’ve always believed there should be separate England coaches for Test and one-day cricket.
"With Trevor Bayliss stepping down at the end of this summer, Chris Silverwood should get the job for Test matches – and I would like to see Eoin become England’s one-day coach.
“It’s a role he would fit into absolutely brilliantly.
"He is so well-respected in that dressing room and it would maintain a smooth line of communication between him and Jos Buttler – they would both just step one rung up the ladder.
“Jos would take over the one-day captaincy and that would be my ideal scenario – my dream ticket.”
