"I think the press are the only ones giving him a hard time" - Ben Stokes backs Eoin Morgan to continue as captain
England Test captain Ben Stokes has backed Eoin Morgan to continue as the skipper of the limited-overs side. The seam-bowling all-rounder doesn't believe Morgan is going through a tough time despite a couple of low scores with the bat.
Morgan, who missed the third and final ODI against the Netherlands due to a groin injury, registered ducks in the first two games. Despite favourable batting conditions and the rest of the batters piling up runs, the southpaw failed to get going in either game.
Eoin Morgan now has two consecutive ducks in the ongoing #NEDvENG ODI series 🦆
es.pn/3O5ME27 https://t.co/bF6SWfMQvh
Stokes underlined that it is the media that has constantly been giving the captain a hard time and that the players are behind the skipper. The 30-year-old said he feels the veteran is allowed a run drought and labeled him a 'phenomenal leader'.
"I think the press are the only ones giving him a hard time and I think the players have shown it's not an issue with them. He's only had two low scores so I wouldn't say he's going through a hard time at the moment. People are allowed to not score many runs, and more than that he's our captain. He's a phenomenal leader and always will be so I've got no issues with anything going on with him at the moment," the Durham all-rounder said, as quoted by BBC.
It's worth noting that the Irish-born player has scored only one half-century in 48 white-ball innings for England. The 35-year-old managed only 68 runs in six matches in the 2021 T20 World Cup and 30 runs in the T20 series against the West Indies this year.
"I can't put into words what he's achieved" - Jos Buttler on Eoin Morgan
Jos Buttler, who was the stand-in captain against the Dutch on Wednesday, also backed the veteran by saying no one has questioned his position as the captain in the team and added that Morgan has taken England to great heights.
"There's certainly no questioning of his position from within the camp. I can't put into words what he's achieved. Everyone always talks about his captaincy but you forget what a brilliant batsman he's been for England in more than 200 ODIs. That doesn't just go away overnight. Everyone in the team is backing him. I'm disappointed for Morgs to miss out but it's a good challenge and an honour to captain the team."
Eoin Morgan is a World Cup winning captain and has been an exceptional one day batter for the English. Two ducks against the Dutch don't spell disaster, but no doubt many will be calling for him to retire. Time waits for no man and the end is often swifter than we think.
England swept the three-game ODI series against the Netherlands, winning all three matches convincingly. Buttler won the player-of-the-series award for his 248 runs in two innings.