"Younger players always give you a great insight into where cricket is at right now": Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan has cited the examples of his compatriot Sam Curran and Kolkata Knight Riders’ teammate Shubman Gill as a testimony to the fact that the game is in a 'healthy space'. He also observed that his experience in Test cricket helped him evolve into a better white-ball player.
Eoin Morgan, the England limited-overs and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, believes younger players always provide a good insight into the direction the sport is heading.
“Ultimately, younger players always give you a great insight into where cricket is at right now. Our youngest, best talents coming through, like our Sam Curran or India’s Shubman Gill, who are coming in and starting on their international cricket journey, are really prioritising Test match cricket.
The 34-year-old, however, opined that younger players should always look to play all three formats, saying in this regard:
“Up until a certain age, you should play everything - you can’t alienate yourself early on in your career or even halfway through. My ambition was always to play Test match cricket. Naturally, I was a better white-ball cricketer, but the experience of playing Test cricket was important in my evolution".
Eoin Morgan continued:
“That to me means that even amongst the popularity that T20 has brought to the game, and the glitz, the glamour, the revenue streams it has brought in - cricket is in a really healthy place,” Eoin Morgan told Sky Sports’ The Cricket Show.
Overlapping all three formats a mistake: Eoin Morgan
Eoin Morgan believes that it’s essential to understand the relevance of each format of the game and not overlap them.
“The biggest question that we will have is what is the relevance of the three formats and where do they stand? One of the biggest mistakes we make as a sport is having all three formats overlap or not recognising the roles they play within the game,” said the World Cup-winning England captain.
Further elaborating on the topic, Eoin Morgan said:
“T20 cricket is an avenue for a young kid who has never seen the game and sees this big shiny thing on TV with stars and the ball being blasted everywhere; 50-over cricket has a different dynamic; it gives you a little bit of everything all in one day. Test match cricket is our most prestigious game for our elite players. It will always be like that, and for a very few countries around the world, it is prioritised.”
Born in Ireland, Eoin Morgan, 34, played the Under-19 World Cup for the Irish side and went on to play international cricket for them in 2006. He helped Ireland qualify for the 2011 World Cup before giving up the green jersey to play for England in 2009.
In a decade-and-half-long international career, Eoin Morgan became the first English player to don 100 T20I caps. He also led England to their only ODI World Cup win in 2019.
Often credited for England’s resurgence as a white-ball unit, Eoin Morgan has also played 16 Tests for England, scoring two hundreds.