Eoin Morgan has been addressing the media ahead of England’s must-win ICC Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka on Sunday.
The England captain knows his side have it all to do to advance from a tough pool to reach the knock-out stages but remains confident after seeing his side pick up their first win at the start of the week.
One of their two tournament defeats so far came against New Zealand at Wellington’s Regional Stadium, known locally as ‘The Cake Tin’, the venue for Sunday’s match.
Morgan believes his side will be a better team for having played there already, even though they were swept away by a magnificent spell of swing bowling from Tim Southee.
“We played against a very good side and we’ve learnt from what we did on that day,” he reflected.
“You can sit back and say, ‘well it’s cost us a win’ but in the long run we’re still in the World Cup and we can come back and rectify anything we got wrong.
“I think one advantage we have is having had one game at The Cake Tin and certainly one lesson we have learned from there is that the ball swung throughout the first innings.
“Preparing for the possibility of that happening again, we did quite a lot of work yesterday on that scenario in practice and the guys got a lot out of it.
“It’s a World Cup game, so it’s quite a big game for us and in particular we see these last three games as must win games. We’re playing in neutral conditions and if the ball swings around we’re more than happy.”
Asked about the opposition, Morgan said, “Sri Lanka look in a good place at the moment.
“We’ve played a lot against them recently. I know they rely a lot on their senior players so it’s another test for us up against some of the best cricketers, guys who have played three or four hundred games.
“It’ll be a really good test and a good challenge, one that the guys are looking forward to.
“We’re going to have to be good. Our performance is going to have to be really good. It’s going to have to be better than we’ve produced at this World Cup so far.”
England have stuck with the same side for their first three matches and Morgan defended that policy, despite criticism of the form of some players including Gary Ballance.
“I think we’ll discuss the balance of the side once we see the wicket," he said.
“I will say, we’re three games into the World Cup and Gary came into the side four games ago and scored 70. He’s played against two of the tough of the toughest sides at the World Cup and he dragged one on against Scotland, so I think any criticism that’s gone his way at the moment is unfair. I think he’s a fantastic cricketer and a guy with a huge amount of potential.”
Morgan was asked about whether he would sing the national anthem in future, the television cameras having highlighted the fact that he wasn’t joining in before the games.
“I’ve never sung the national anthem whether I’ve played for Ireland or England. It doesn’t make me any less proud to be an English cricketer. I’m extremely proud to be in the position that I am and privileged to be captain of a World Cup side.”
England face Sri Lanka at Wellington on Sunday morning, at 11am local time (the match starting at 10pm Saturday evening in the UK).
Trent Bridge hosts the fourth Royal London One-Day International between England and New Zealand on Wednesday 17 June. Don't miss the chance to watch England seek redemption against the Kiwis and secure your seat now.