Eoin Morgan has no regrets over his decision to miss the tour of Bangladesh on security grounds and will return to lead England’s one-day side in India after Christmas confident that his authority as captain remains undiminished.
Speaking publicly on the subject for the first time since he and Alex Hales pulled out of the October trip, Morgan remained entirely content with his decision after watching from home as his vice-captain, Jos Buttler, led the side to a 2-1 victory in the one-day series as a part of a five-week tour that passed without incident.
“It was a difficult decision to make and I don’t think a lot of people would have made it, but I am certainly happy with the decision that I have made,” said Morgan, who, like Hales, took up the option to miss the tour sanctioned by the England and Wales Cricket Board without recrimination.
In eschewing safety assurances given by the team’s head of security, Reg Dickason, Morgan was criticised by two of his predecessors, with Nasser Hussain stating it would undermine his captaincy and Michael Vaughan similarly claiming that he would be left unable to “look players in the eye”.
The 30-year-old, who is currently playing in Australia’s Big Bash League before the limited-overs series in India, said the response from the team at the time was a demonstration of their unity, however, and cares little for the opinions of those outside of his allies within the sport. “We’re a tightly-knit group who back each other’s decisions no matter what and in particular in this case where every decision for the individual was his own decision and whatever was right for him,” he said. “Everyone within the game that I trust has supported me, including players past and current who I lean on for big decisions.”
Asked if he spoke to Hales before their withdrawal was confirmed, Morgan said: “I think his doubts were similar to mine, but I didn’t speak to him directly. It was a completely individual decision, and part of me making it and going with what I felt was right was not to influence anybody in the wrong way.
“If I’d have toured and gone against my gut because I thought there was some need to captain the side out there, then it might have influenced somebody like him. He might have been afraid to make the decision if everybody else was going, or felt unnecessary pressure.”
Morgan’s own view was shaped by two past experiences on the subcontinent – a bomb blast during his time in the Indian Premier League in 2010 and a period of political unrest when playing domestic cricket in Bangladesh three years later – but having played in both countries since then, these reasons have been queried in some quarters.
While trying to address this, Morgan also highlighted that England were the first touring side since the terrorist attack in the capital of Dhaka on 1 July, as well as Australia postponing their visit the previous year. He said: “If there is ever a doubt in my mind about travelling somewhere I have to consider my options. One thing that had changed from 2010 in India was that other teams had travelled there and security had increased. Also, since then there had been no terrorist attacks or threats to either a tournament or team.”
If Morgan is now hoping the issue of his withdrawal has been put to bed, then pressure remains in his need for runs. Ben Duckett, who made two half-centuries in Bangladesh, was left out of the squad to accommodate the returning captain, who has scored two half-centuries in his past 13 innings.
Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, would be reluctant to make a change leading into the Champions Trophy in the summer with the one-day side’s impressive performances since the 2015 World Cup in part credited to Morgan’s leadership.
