Morgan confident over Roy’s return

Eoin Morgan cannot say if Alex Hales would be welcomed back into England’s World Cup dressing room but is willing to give Jason Roy every chance to prove a replacement batsman will not be needed.

Captain Morgan has recovered well from the painful back spasm which saw him limp from the field during last week’s victory over the West Indies and plans to play against Afghanistan today, but there was worse news over Roy.

An MRI scan revealed the Surrey opener had torn his left hamstring and would miss the game at Old Trafford as well as Friday’s Headingley date with Sri Lanka.

With James Vince lined up to deputise, England are keen to avoid rushing to conclusions on Roy’s prognosis, but the possibility of an injury call-up has inevitably brought Hales’ name into the frame.

The experienced 30-year-old was inked into the squad until news broke that he was serving a ban for twice breaching the ECB’s recreational drugs policy, opening the door for Vince.

Morgan said last month there had been “a complete breakdown in trust” between Hales and his team-mates, with the implication being that bridging the gap would be a long-term process.

With question marks now surrounding Roy’s readiness for the rigours ahead, Morgan hinted that national selector Ed Smith could be the man to determine Hales’ fate.

“I think it would be a case of speaking to Ed because ultimately Ed gets the final call and say on who is involved in the 15,” he said.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Morgan went on: “If Ed Smith came to myself and (head coach) Trevor Bayliss and said he felt that Alex was the best option, we would have to assess how that would sit in the changing room and the stigma it would bring with Alex coming back in.”