Eoin Morgan tears into "shirking" England flops after strange World Cup decision

08 November 2023 , 10:34

1169     0

Eoin Morgan has urged England's senior players to take some responsibility (Image: Sky Sports)

Eoin Morgan has accused England's senior players of "shirking responsibility" after sending a fielding coach to a press conference.

England have endured a nightmare Cricket World Cup campaign. The defending champions were knocked out of the tournament in India with two group games to spare after losing six of their first seven matches... and their campaign could get even worse.

Jos Buttler's side need to finish in the top eight to qualify for the Champions Trophy, an eight-team 50-over competition reserved for the best teams in the world. England have never failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy, with the next edition in 2025.

England's flops are currently bottom of the 10-team World Cup group and need to win their last two games to guarantee their spot at the tournament in Pakistan in two years' time. They face the Netherlands on Wednesday and Pakistan on Saturday.

Morgan, who captained England to victory at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, was staggered by their decision to make fielding coach Carl Hopkinson speak to the press on Tuesday. The former Sussex star is a relatively unknown figure on the international stage.

Ballance set to make Test return for Zimbabwe after Yorkshire racism scandal

Morgan believes England captain Buttler, coach Matthew Mott or a senior player - such as Test skipper Ben Stokes or ex-captain Joe Root - should've spoken to the press. "I was very surprised and a little bit shocked by it, to be honest," Morgan told Sky Sports.

"Bear in mind the thought process that goes behind (these decisions). When you sit in meetings as a leader - as a captain or head coach - you make those decisions in the side. When things are going wrong, you need absolutely clarity and direction.

Carl Hopkinson spoke to the press on Tuesday (Getty Images)

What's your thoughts on England's decision? Let us know in the comments below!

"For a long time, you talk about how people are media trained and what to expect... so you naturally turn to senior players or your head coach. You have to front up. In certain instances, you could look at it and say, 'Are they shirking responsibility?'"

Morgan knows a thing or two about taking responsibility. After England were knocked out of the 2015 Cricket World Cup by Bangladesh, he spoke to the press as captain.

Morgan added: "At the moment it's a sinking ship, and you need people to take responsibility - take responsibility for your actions. That's just part and parcel of the job. So it surprised me seeing Carl Hopkinson being rolled out yesterday.

"If it was a Ben Stokes or Joe Root or just somebody - a senior voice in the changing room - (who came out and did the press conference) you would say, 'This is the message in the changing room, this is how it's going to work'. But you would very rarely send out an assistant coach... to give a strong message when the team needs it."

Tom Blow