England present united front on racism scandal before T20 World Cup semi-final
Morgan says ‘diverse’ side keen to be part of solution as they take on New Zealand today
Eoin Morgan says his England side have discussed county cricket’s racism controversy even though their focus has been on winning the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
England will face New Zealand in the semi-final at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi today. While they were stringing together an impressive run of performances in the group stage, a racism scandal was engulfing the game back at home.
Even senior members of the UK government were moved to comment on the case of racial harassment and bullying against Azeem Rafiq at Yorkshire. Far from being a distraction for the national team, Morgan said his side have talked about the issue as they want to be part of the solution.
“We definitely don’t shelter [from discussing it], particularly from issues as serious and as relevant to our squad as anything we have ever done,” the England captain said.
“When matters of such a serious nature arise, particularly when it comes to discrimination, we talk about it quite a lot. Bear in mind that within our group there is a lot of diversity. We try and share our stories as much as we can.”
After England’s multicultural team won the 50-over World Cup in 2019, Morgan had said the side’s diversity was one of their great strengths.
“After winning the 2019 World Cup and becoming a more formidable side with a bigger platform, [it] has allowed us to feel comfortable enough to tell our different stories along the road,” Morgan said, on the eve of the game against New Zealand. “Ultimately, it is about feeling comfortable in our own skin to play great cricket on the field, but also to be a really strong role model.”
He hopes their success can be an inspiration for aspiring cricketers from any background.
“We feel comfortable talking about this within the dressing room,” Morgan said.
“We think of ourselves as younger cricketers, coming from different backgrounds. We all want to share our dream, which we have dreamt about for so long as kids.
“We have been lucky enough to live that dream, and we want young kids to be able to picture that, but also to picture a pathway to be able to achieve it. The things we do in this World Cup and beyond are very important to contributing to that.”
Morgan also has selection issues forced upon him when Jason Roy was ruled out of the of the tournament on Monday. The opener, who has long been a key part of England’s XI, suffered a calf injury while attempting a single against South Africa on Sunday.
His absence will probably force a reshuffle of England’s batting order. James Vince has been brought into the squad as his replacement.
Sam Billings had been the reserve batter in the squad until that point, while England might also consider bringing in an extra bowler, such as David Willey, to their side.
Meanwhile, Kane Williamson says his New Zealand teammates are not bitter about their defeat to England in the 2019 World Cup final, insisting they recall the occasion “fondly”.
New Zealand have lost out to England in the past two ICC competitions. In 2016, they were soundly beaten in the semi-final of the T20 event in Delhi. Two years ago, they were famously beaten on boundary countback following a Super Over at the end of the 50-over final at Lord’s.
However, Williamson – whose side are world champions in the Test format – says they are far from preoccupied by anything that has gone before, ahead of their meeting in the capital.
“It was an amazing game to be a part of,” New Zealand’s captain said of 2019.
“When it does come up in conversation it is looked back on fondly. We appreciated that experience, even though in the aftermath it was very difficult to understand.
“It is what it is. You sign up, you play by the rules, and you move on and look forward to the next challenges.
“As a group, they continue to come thick and fast, and that is where we put our focus. Cricket just continues to roll on.”
Williamson says his New Zealand teammates are not bitter about their defeat to England in the 2019 World Cup final