Morgan warning
EOIN MORGAN has warned his England side of the damage defeat by the West Indies could do to their World Cup ambitions.
England have won a record nine ODI series in a row to be ranked the No 1 side in the world.
But Morgan knows only too well that one series hammering can change everything with the World Cup just 100 days away – like it did in 2011.
Morgan, 32, was a part of the England team that beat six teams in a row in 2009 and 2010, only to suffer a 6-1 thrashing against Australia at the start of 2011.
Andrew Strauss’ side never recovered and were dumped out of the 2011 World Cup quarter-finals by Sri Lanka.
With two series to come before this year’s tournament on home soil, Morgan is desperate to avoid a repeat.
The England skipper said ahead of the start of the ODI series here tomorrow: “The World Cup is going to be an exciting time, but if you look too far ahead it would be very easy to start losing games and lose momentum.
“We have 11 one-day games before our opening World Cup match at The Oval and this is no time to look back at what we’ve achieved or stand still.
“We’re trying to keep moving forward and pick up as much as we can – and at the same time keep winning more games to keep our confidence high.”
The newly-married Morgan arrived in Barbados last week having watched the Test series from afar with interest.
He smiled knowingly when asked if there was surprise at how the West Indies not only won the Wisden Trophy but gave England a thrashing.
England might be the world’s No1 ODI side but they have no right to win any game and Morgan continues to instil that mantra into his players.
But he wants them to embrace their position as the most fancied of teams heading into a tournament they have never won before despite three appearances in the final.
He said: “Being ranked No1 in the world is nice but it hasn’t happened overnight or by accident.
“Does it add to the pressure? I think it’s cool – it might add to the pressure if we were coming into the tournament on the back of hit-and-miss results, if we were unsure about our team or squad, but everything is becoming clearer.”
Adil Rashid has returned from the birth of his second son ready to put a poor Test tour behind him and deliver in the way he has consistently for the ODI side.
Rashid will be a huge part of England’s World Cup puzzle in May and June, when he and Moeen Ali will bamboozle opponents in the middle overs. No spin pair come close to their combined 173 wickets since the last World Cup and only Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan with 118 has taken more than Adil Rashid’s 116 scalps.
Rashid said: “The World Cup will be massive. My role is the same as it has been for the past three or four years – to create chances, look to bowl variations and if it happens, great.
“I’m still a long way off becoming that world-beater in Test cricket.”