England’s final match of a disastrous World Cup ended in a comfortable nine-wicket Duckworth/Lewis victory over Afghanistan in a match reduced by the weather. It was a winning end to a campaign in which they beat only Scotland and Afghanistan, with heavy losses coming against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and a humiliating defeat at the hands of Bangladesh that prompted calls for a change of coach and captain.
But Eoin Morgan remains adamant that he would like to continue as captain, and insists that criticism of the coaching stuff has been disproportionately unfair, believing that the players should take the responsibility.
Morgan was handed the role shortly before the team left for Australia at the start of the year, after Alastair Cook had been relieved of the position, but appears to have had trouble galvanising the side into giving a team performance. He insisted, though, that he still had the hunger to do the job if asked. “I think there is going to be a review over the next couple of weeks,” he said, “and I can’t determine whether I’ll still be captain. The hunger is still there to do it, absolutely.
“I’ve learned a lot throughout this tournament particularly when things have not gone so well. You learn a lot about yourself and the team, and things like that moving forward are crucial.
“Looking ahead, the personnel we have are the right personnel. The things that have let us down have been very basic. When we have done well we have done reasonably well but when we have been poor we have been very poor. When you have a bad day you have to find some way of scrapping and fighting to stay in the game but when we have had bad days we have been out of the game. We need to get our basics right, building innings and partnerships.
“I certainly have no regrets about being captain. I have given it everything.“
With regards to Moores, Morgan remains unequivocal. “I certainly think that the criticism he has got is not fair,” he said of the coach. “All the responsibility should fall on the players. It is important we realise as a side where the responsibility lies.”
He is sure that the squad he had here was the best available and that there should be no intention now for some to retire or be retired. “We haven’t got guys who are coming to the end of their careers,” he said. “We have the right calibre of squad. Guys on the outside need to be banging down the door. It’s an easy thing to sit here and say someone outside the squad is better suited. I still believe we had the right group of players.”
