Eoin Morgan returns to lead England in Monday’s one-off Twenty20 international against Australia in Cardiff following his month-long sabbatical, a break that has seen energy levels renewed.
Morgan has not played a competitive match since 1 August when a third-ball duck in Middlesex’s Royal London Cup match with Hampshire convinced him that his search for form, amid a run of 13 innings without a half-century, was tantamount to banging his head against a brick wall.
The 28-year-old left-hander led from the front in England’s 3-2 one-day series win over New Zealand in June but, while Alastair Cook’s Test side were en route to their Ashes victory, spent four weeks recharging his batteries in a rest period agreed by his director of cricket at Middlesex, Angus Fraser.
“I sat down with Gus and discussed the pros and cons of it,” said Morgan, who will captain England for the 33rd time in white-ball cricket. “He was understanding and brilliant in the way he managed it because he said the priority was English cricket, which is a tough decision as a director of cricket at a county team.
“We talked about the benefits of it and, sitting here now, I’m probably twice the man I was a month ago because of the hectic nature of the schedule. I feel really fresh. My attitude, my mind, my body is a lot better than it was a month ago. I’m raring to go. I can’t wait to get started.”
Today’s match, the second in a double-header at the Swalec Stadium after the final fixture of the women’s Ashes series, sees Morgan link up with the head coach Trevor Bayliss for the first time in an England capacity, with the pair having previously worked together at Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knightriders.
Victory would not raise Morgan’s men from their lowly eighth position in the world rankings, although it would drop Australia one place to third. The only other context for the encounter, which precedes the five-match one-day series beginning in Southampton on Thursday, is in helping shape the squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in India next March.
England will select from a 13-man squad, with the Hampshire batsman James Vince – top scorer in this year’s T20 Blast – and the Essex left-armer Reece Topley pushing for debuts. From the side that beat New Zealand in their one-off T20 at Old Trafford in June Joe Root and Mark Wood are rested while Jonny Bairstow misses out to Jos Buttler behind the stumps. Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, back from rest and injury respectively, could feature.
Australia last played T20 cricket in November – a 2-1 series win over South Africa at home in which Bayliss, then head coach at New South Wales, took charge as Darren Lehmann took time off – and are hoping the arrival of fresh recruits, such as the batsman Marcus Stoinis and leg-spinner Cameron Boyce, can lift spirits after their Ashes defeat.
The tourists are without James Faulkner, who starred in Lancashire’s Finals Day victory on Saturday, following his suspension for a drink-driving offence and will be led by Steve Smith in the absence of their regular captain, Aaron Finch, who has only just returned to cricket at Yorkshire after suffering a broken foot.
“We really want to start this [part of the] tour very well and gain some momentum going into the one-dayers,” said Smith, who is now Australia’s regular captain in Test and 50-over cricket. “It’s obviously been a long tour for a lot of the Test guys and to have a few fresh faces brings some energy and enthusiasm to the group.”
All eyes will be on the Cardiff pitch, which has been prepared by assistant groundsmen Robin Saxton, Andrew Noyes and Kenny Lawrence after the head groundsman, Keith Exton, was fired by Glamorgan last Thursday in light of the “unfit” conditions that forced their London One-Day Cup match with Hampshire to be abandoned at the start of the month.
England (possible) Hales, Roy, Ali, Morgan (c), Stokes, Billings, Buttler, Willey, Rashid, Woakes, Topley
Australia Warner, Watson, Smith (c), Maxwell, M Marsh, Stoinis,
Wade, Coulter-Nile, Starc, Cummins, Boyce
