Cross out but Glen makes no mistake
Morgan: Time for the fringe players to grab opportunity & force way into World Cup squad DARTS PREMIER LEAGUE ACTION
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EOIN MORGAN has urged England’s fringe players to give him a selection headache for the winter white-ball squads and the World T20 next year.
England’s skipper goes into the first of three T20s against Pakistan at Old Trafford tonight without some of his biggest guns.
But he has thrown down a gauntlet to his reserves to grab their opportunity to shine in not only next month’s limited overs action against Australia but the winter and beyond.
Morgan said: “Opportunities like this don’t come around very often when we have our squad at full strength.
“So it is another opportunity for guys who would potentially sit outside that 15 to try and present their best case moving forward for winter tours and the World Cup next year.”
With Ben Stokes in
New Zealand on compassionate leave,
Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer rested and Jason
Roy out injured with a side strain, there are some big boots to fill.
Not least against a Pakistan side led by Babar Azam ranked fourth best in the world and capable of beating anyone in world cricket.
Dawid Malan or Tom
Banton (inset, above) could fill in for Roy alongside Jonny Bairstow, at least until the Australia matches when Roy hopes to be back.
Sam Billings should get further chances to push his claims in the middle order.
The postponement of this year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, originally scheduled for October and November, has nudged the door open for late darters into Morgan’s plans.
And Morgan (inset, right) believes the wait could strengthen his hand.
“I hope so,” he said. “I think given a lot of the guys that are in the squad at the moment are young guys coming through. And when you’re at that stage of development in your career, six to eight to 12 months is actually quite a considerable amount of time. The big challenge for those guys is getting an opportunity to go away and play between now and then in the winter.
“The IPL is going ahead, the Big Bash is going ahead, we have a long tour to India which actually frees up guys to play a full Big Bash and make a case for selection in the New Year. “So trying to expose them to a lot more white-ball cricket can accelerate their development as opposed to sitting at home and wondering what next summer might look like for us.”
The England squad looked relaxed yesterday with Tom Curran (below) calling the shots... on his phone. Pakistan skipper Babar conceded it will be difficult switching from the red ball to whiteball cricket against one of the best T20 teams in the world. “We only got one day for practice but I hope we will come good,” he said. “T20-specific players were doing practice though and we are positive about the series.”
ROB CROSS was eliminated from the Premier League after falling to a 7-4 defeat by an in-form Glen Durrant.
Cross, Daryl Gurney and Gerwyn Price were all battling for survival on Judgement Night in Milton Keynes. But it was the 2018 PDC world champion, nicknamed Voltage after starting his working life as an electrician, who bowed out as Durrant (above) stretched his lead at the top of the table.
Michael van Gerwen’s rocky run of form continued as Gary Anderson got one over the Dutchman. The world No.1 suffered a second straight defeat, going down 7-4 to the Flying Scotsman.