"It is a sinking ship and you need people to take responsibility for their actions" - Eoin Morgan criticizes Buttler and Mott for evading media duties
Former England captain Eoin Morgan feels that current skipper Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott 'shirked responsibility' by sending fielding coach Carl Hopkinson for the pre-match press conference ahead of the clash against the Netherlands.
The defending World Cup champions are languishing at the bottom of the points table and need wins from their remaining two matches to secure a place in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
England suffered a tame defeat at the hands of rivals Australia in Ahmedabad recently, and the team are currently facing the heat over their disastrous campaign in India. The fate of the ageing squad, as well as captain Jos Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott, hangs in the balance in the closing stages of the World Cup league stage.
Revealing that he was shocked to see Hopkinson instead of a senior figure doing media duties, Morgan told Sky Sports:
"I was surprised and shocked by it [seeing Hopkinson put up for media duties]. hen you sit in a meeting as a captain or a head coach you make those decisions in the side and when things are going wrong, you need absolute clarity and direction."
He continued:
"When you talk about messaging in an interview process, you naturally turn to senior players or your head coach to front up. Inecertain instances you could look at it and say, 'are they shirking responsibility?' At the moment, it is a sinking ship and you need people to take responsibility for their actions."
England have made a solid start in their penultimate contest against the Netherlands at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. After opting to bat first, the side are placed at 100-1 after 16 overs.
"You very rarely would send out an assistant coach to give a strong message when the team needs it" - Eoin Morgan
England came into the tournament as one of the favorites but have only had a win over Bangladesh to show for their efforts so far. The Jos Buttler-led side have struggled to adapt to conditions, with multiple players looking out of sorts not helping their case.
Morgan criticised the England management's ploy to send out the fielding coach for media duties, but at the same time praised Moeen Ali for his frank interview to Sky Sports. The former player added:
"You very rarely would send out an assistant coach to give a strong message when the team needs it. I enjoyed Moeen's interview. In a really strong team, like England have in that changing room, you need to identify the problem."
Morgan concluded:
"Moeen has clearly identified a couple of things that probably need to be addressed sooner rather than later, so that candid interview is a good sign. Good players solve problems. They spend their whole career working on their game, looking to take advantage of opportunity."
Will England return to winning ways in the 2023 ODI World Cup with a triumph over the Netherlands ? Let us know what you think.