Morgan: Terror attacks won’t derail us
EOIN Morgan says his England players are able to remain fully focused on the Champions Trophy campaign despite the terrorist attacks on Manchester and London.
The Three Lions can secure their place in the semi-finals with a win over New Zealand today after their opening victory over Bangladesh.
Saturday’s attack in central London happened within a mile of the hotel some England players were using, rather than travelling home between matches.
Morgan is satisfied, though, that his team is at ease with the increased security measures prescribed by the International Cricket Council - and will take the field uncompromised by distractions.
“I think we can,” said the England skipper, referencing the side’s victory over South Africa in Leeds two days after the first attack at the Manchester Arena last month.
“I think we proved that in Leeds after what happened in Manchester.”
He is encouraging discussion of the topic, however, from any players who feel the need after the latest incident at London Bridge. He said: “Obviously the guys are chatting about it constantly, because it’s not very far from where we stayed - and a lot of us live near to where it happened (in London).
“So we’re always constantly talking about it, making sure everybody feels that they can talk about it and not necessarily hide away from it.
“We certainly facilitate guys that feel they need to talk about it or have any concerns. I haven’t spoken to any players from other teams in the tournament. But certainly within our team, there are no concerns.”