MORGAN AND CO WARNED ABOUT NEW GENERATION

ENGLAND’S Champions Trophy flops have been put on alert that the next generation are prepared to push them out of the picture ahead of the next World Cup. And if there is one thing Pakistan’s tournament win proved, it is you do not need to have played 150 games to be good enough to shine on the world stage. Head coach Trevor Bayliss believes he picked the best players available, but is more than happy to see who else is out there who might be able to get the job done when it comes to knockout cricket. And the next part of that search starts tomorrow when a T20 squad containing five uncapped players takes on South Africa in the first of three games. This is the sort of week where Liam Livingstone (above) could make his name, where Tom Curran might become a star or where Dawid Malan makes an irresistible case to play in every white-ball game that follows. “If you take your opportunity and score runs, there’s no reason you can’t be pushing other players to become a permanent fixture in the team,” said Malan. “If I do get an opportunity here, it’s the only way you can show you can play at this level, so I need to make sure I do take it. I just have to score as many runs as possible, and hope that’s enough to push people out – whether they’re in or out of form.

“When you look at the side England have at the moment and the squad, you think, ‘How can I get into that?’ And the only way is by scoring and scoring and scoring. Any opportunity you get be it for the Lions, in the North v South or a T20, you need to make sure you take that chance and that you’re hammering away at the door.” The three matches in Southampton, Taunton and Cardiff promise to be fun-filled affairs for those who have bought tickets, although they can rightly feel aggrieved that despite not reaching the Champions Trophy Final, there will be no Joe Root, Ben Stokes or Moeen Ali on show for England.

If though they witness the birth of the next great England talent then perhaps they will be happy with their lot, especially with the sun expected to shine.

For Malan (top) there is an extra special reason to want to play having been brought up in South Africa throughout his school days and with his parents and sister still living there.

“It would mean a lot to play against South Africa,” he added. “It’s a fantastic country and it has been very good to me and my development as a person.

“I did my schooling there and it would be fantastic for me if I got to make my debut against South Africa with all that behind me.”