Eoin Morgan defends England’s selection decisions after opting against introducing new faces

Eoin Morgan has defended England’s lack of adventure in one of the most one-sided and forgettable white-ball series in memory.

Only the Bristol rain stopped what must be the worst Sri Lanka side since their elevation to Test cricket in the early 80s losing all six T20 and 50-over games against an England side that stuck rigidly to Plan A.

That meant Morgan failed to give opportunities to the likes of Tom Banton and newcomer George Garton, even with England 2-0 up going into Sunday’s final one-day international, and refused to experiment by batting first in any of the 50-over games.

Eoin Morgan has defended England’s selection decisions after they outclassed Sri Lanka

England decided against bringing in the likes of George Garton and instead stuck to Plan A

‘We always ask questions of ourselves,’ insisted Morgan after Sunday’s abandonment when Sri Lanka had been bowled out for 166. ‘But it’s rare we will put someone in just for a one-off game. It doesn’t hold a lot of context unless it’s dealing with a string of matches.

‘When you identify a player to come into a squad I believe you should always invest in their talent and think long-term. Give him a number of opportunities rather than just one after he’s been around the side for a while and becomes comfortable.’

Morgan’s preference is always for England to chase but it was a surprise he did not bat first once, not least perhaps with a view to providing a better spectacle for spectators who had more than their fill of Sri Lankan mediocrity.

But the World Cup winning captain insisted he should always do what’s best to win the game in front of him, especially now each ‘dead rubber’ counts towards World Cup qualification.

‘We wanted to win the series,’ added Morgan. ‘There’s 10 points for each game you play and we’re in the same mould as everyone else.’ 

Morgan consistently opted to field first as England’s bowlers proved too good for the batsmen