Eoin Morgan adamant England won’t miss World Cup semi-finals
Captain Eoin Morgan shrugged off Kevin Piertersen’s “scared” jibe and insisted England’s hopes of a semi-final berth was still “within our control”.
Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
“Scared” England captain Eoin Morgan refuses to concede the No.1-ranked team is in danger of suffering an embarrassing World Cup exit before the semi-finals.
Former teammate Kevin Pietersen levelled the worst possible insult on Morgan when he declared the skipper “looked scared” facing Mitchell Starc as he made just four runs on Tuesday.
A prickly Morgan then fronted the media adamant that England would still reach its first semi-final since 1992.
Oh no, Eoin Morgan looked scared!
— Kevin Pietersen🦠(@KP24) June 25, 2019
That Is A Horror Sign!
The England captain stepping to square leg when Starc bowled his first delivery to him made me think England could have a little problem over the next week or so.
— Kevin Pietersen🦠(@KP24) June 25, 2019
I hope not, but I’ve not seen a captain show such a weakness for a while...
But Morgan’s men have lost three out of their four World Cup run chases as their choking reputation hit new heights after the thumping by Australia at Lord’s.
England won 20-straight run chases leading into the World Cup when the pressure was off.
Pictures of Ben Stokes kicking his bat along the pitch were splashed on the back pages of five English newspapers, as Starc’s ball of the tournament removed the all-rounder to push England to the brink.
But Morgan spoke defiantly before Sunday’s critical clash against India.
“The chances are in our hands,” Morgan said. “Everything is within our control. We just need to produce a performance worthy of winning either one or the next two games.”
It was hard to know who exactly he was trying to convince.
This is a team that was openly targeting 500 runs a month ago, yet has failed to chase down two modest totals in a week — dismissed for 221 by Australia and 212 by Sri Lanka.
“We struggled with the basics of what we call our batting mantra,” Morgan said.
“Strong intent, building partnerships, and doing it in our own way.”
Stokes, who said his injury while batting was nothing more than a cramp, promised they would not take a backward step.
“This is our World Cup,” Stokes said.
It has been 27 long years since England last beat Australia in a World Cup match, back in 1992, but Morgan said they did not fear the Aussies.
“I’ve only played against them in two World Cups — (27) years doesn’t mean (anything), I’m 32 years old,” Morgan said. “Thanks, mate. Nice.”
.@SamLandsberger quizzing Eoin Morgan on England's "subconscious fear of Australia" 🤣🤣🤣🤣https://t.co/px9CcIwAvj pic.twitter.com/FPvFBTO6ez
— Emily Benammar (@EmilyBenammar) June 26, 2019
Moral hypocrites England decide tons are anti-cricket
The new tough-talking, pot-stirring English cricket team is suffering from a baffling identity crisis on the eve of the Ashes tour, going into meltdown after two Indian batters had the audacity to tell them ‘no’.
England’s appalling display mars absolute Test classic
England’s display in the Test classic against India was appalling, and unsportsmanlike, writes Peter Jenkins. It just makes the upcoming Ashes more appealing.