Eoin Morgan has warned that another World Cup blowout for England in the Caribbean would come ‘very, very close’ to spelling the end for the white-ball leadership group of coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler.
England’s preparations for the defence of their T20 title received a further blow when the third game of their four-match series against Pakistan was washed out in Cardiff – six days after the first was abandoned at Headingley.
And with more unsettled weather expected during Thursday’s series finale at The Oval, there is a chance Buttler’s side will fly to Barbados on Friday with only one game under their belts – their 23-run win at Edgbaston at the weekend.
England have made much of getting their 15-man squad together ahead of the tournament in a bid to avoid a repeat of their disastrous performance at the 50-over World Cup in India in the autumn.
Asked whether a letdown in the West Indies would mean the end of the leadership group, Morgan – who captained England to the 50-over title in 2019 – told Sky Sports: ‘It would be very, very close to [that]. I don’t think that’s being harsh.
Rain has washed out England’s third warm-up clash with Pakistan in Cardiff, after the first was also abandoned without a ball bowled
Eoin Morgan has claimed that a poor title defence in the Caribbean could come close to signalling the end for the Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler partnership
‘Even when I was captain and Trevor Bayliss was coach, there was a level of expectation on your shoulders, and the quality of player in the domestic game and in the changing-room at your disposal leads to that expectation.
‘We are one of the best countries in the world when it comes to resources and facilities, and we do continue to produce brilliant players, and I don’t think this squad is any different. Ultimately, your job is to get the best out of your team for the tournament.’
Despite working briefly with Mott towards the end of his spell as captain in 2022, Morgan has been not shied away from criticism since becoming a pundit.
He accused Mott and other senior figures of ‘shirking their responsibilities’ when assistant coach Carl Hopkinson was sent to talk to the media ahead of a wooden-spoon clash with the Netherlands in India, and was unimpressed with the management’s inconsistent messaging during the tournament.
Mott said last week that Morgan was entitled to his opinion, but added: ‘All I’ll say is that only the people within the dressing-room can fully understand what’s going on. Once you leave the dressing-room, you might hear titbits of stuff, but you don’t really know how the team’s operating.’
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