England captain Eoin Morgan suspended for fourth ODI against Pakistan

England captain Eoin Morgan suspended for fourth ODI against Pakistan and fined 40% of match fee for slow over rate in Bristol victory

  • England took an unassailable 2-0 lead against Pakistan in the third ODI
  • However, Eoin Morgan has been punished after his side’s slow over rate
  • He will miss the fourth ODI and has been hit with a 40 per cent match fee fine

England’s World Cup preparations have been hit by the news that their captain Eoin Morgan has been suspended from Friday’s fourth one-day international against Pakistan at Trent Bridge because of a slow over-rate.

England were deemed to have fallen two overs behind schedule during their impressive six-wicket win in Bristol on Tuesday, with the ban kicking in because it was Morgan’s second offence in 12 months following a similar transgression in Barbados in February. 

The captaincy will pass to Jos Buttler, who sat out the Bristol runfest.

England captain Eoin Morgan has been suspended for the fourth ODI against Pakistan

ICC match referee Richie Richardson also took aim at Jonny Bairstow, who angrily hit the stumps with his bat after being bowled for 128. Bairstow was reprimanded for a Level 1 breach of the code of conduct, and issued with a disciplinary demerit point – the first on his record since the code was revised in September 2016.

But it is the absence of Morgan that will most inconvenience England, with only three games left – two of them warm-ups – before the start of the World Cup on May 30.

‘Of course you don’t want to lose the captain, particularly given the form he’s in,’ said all-rounder Chris Woakes. ‘We probably need to be quicker with our overs. We can deal with it, because we’ve got some exceptional players on the sidelines, but Morgs is a huge loss.’

Morgan will have to watch on in Nottingham as England, who need to win only one of their last two games against Pakistan to clinch the series, look to finalise their World Cup 15 ahead of Tuesday’s squad announcement.

Jonny Bairstow has also been reprimanded for striking the stumps with his bat after getting out

Jonny Bairstow has also been reprimanded for striking the stumps with his bat after getting out

If there was any doubt before the Bristol runfest, Woakes can now be safely inked in to take the new ball after picking up four for 67 in a Pakistan total of 358 for nine; meanwhile, six team-mates combined to take four for 290.

‘”Safe” is probably not the word,’ he said, ‘but you always feel like you need to put in performances and I’m pleased I managed to put in a good one.’

Woakes, who this season has been easing his way back from a long-standing knee injury, had looked short of a gallop during the second game of the series in Southampton, where he went for 72 from nine overs.

But he placed clear water between himself and England’s other seamers in Bristol as the battle continued to avoid being replaced in the squad by Jofra Archer. And he insisted the presence of Archer had driven the bowlers to up their game as the unattractive prospect loomed of missing a home World Cup.

‘The batters have set the benchmark over the last few years, and there’s always been competition for places there – more so maybe than the bowling,’ he said. ‘This, I suppose, has done the same for the bowlers. It’s always good to have competition: at international level that’s always going to be the case, so I think it’s been a good thing.’

Archer could well return in Nottingham after sitting out Southampton and Bristol, while Durham fast bowler Mark Wood is expected to make his first appearance of the series at a venue renowned for fast scoring. Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Tom Curran and Joe Denly, a peripheral figure in Bristol, are among those awaiting their fate.

‘The selectors, thankfully, have got the tough task of making the call,’ said Woakes. ‘Someone, unfortunately, will miss out, but we don’t sit in the dressing-room talking about “is it going to be me?” Everyone knows it’s there, and it’s creating a good competitive edge to the team.’ 



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