Skipper Eoin makes sledge pledge LEAVE IT!
CRICKET England won’t rough up Aussies in wake of ‘Sandpaper-gate’
ENGLAND captain Eoin Morgan insists his players will not sledge Australia over their ball-tampering shame when the one-day series gets under way at The Oval next week.
Morgan’s men will take on the Australians in five ODIS starting on Wednesday in what will be the visitors’ first cricket since they were exposed as cheats on their tour of South Africa earlier this year.
Former skipper Steve Smith and deputy David Warner are notable absentees from this series after they were handed one-year bans for their part in the plot to doctor the ball with sandpaper during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March.
Scandal
The fall-out from the scandal also saw coach Darren Lehmann quit and Australia have vowed to clean up their act with regards to on-field behaviour under the new leadership of Justin Langer.
It means the tourists are set for a rough ride from English fans once the series starts this week.
But Morgan insists there will be no cheap shots from his men on the field – insisting England pride themselves on being an example to the rest of the world.
Asked if England would use ‘sandpaper-gate’ to gain a psychological edge, Morgan said: “No, definitely not. That’s not what we’re about culturally, certainly within cricketing circles.
“The humility about the way we play cricket sets an example for the majority of other countries around the world. Yes, there may be a laugh and a giggle but predominantly it’ll be harmless.”
Australia will be missing not only Smith and Warner against England but also the injured Ashes-winning pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood and Mitchell Starc. It means England will be heavy favourites to brush aside an inexperienced team led by new captain Tim Paine – yet Morgan says his men will not be taking the Aussies lightly.
Opportunities
“No, not at all,” he said. “Given what’s happened with them in the last six months – particularly what happened in South Africa and with the World Cup a year away – there are guys in that squad who will get opportunities in this series that are thinking, ‘This is my claim for a World Cup spot’.”
England start a two-month block of white-ball cricket with an ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh today.
They will be missing injured all-rounder Ben Stokes and key bowler Chris Woakes for the entire Aussie series.
Stokes has been ruled out of all five games and Morgan suggested the same could apply to Woakes, who has a thigh injury. “Chris’ injury is repeated – he’s had it three or four times before.given the way the Australian series is – we’re due to do a lot of travelling – he would have played only three games.”