Former England captain Eoin Morgan has said that England didn’t go hard enough with the bat in their 2023 World Cup opener against New Zealand.

England finished their 50 overs on 282-9, bailed out slightly by a 30-run 10th wicket stand between Mark Wood and Adil Rashid after wickets fell regularly in the middle overs.

After England finished their innings, Morgan described England’s total as below par and was subsequently asked whether the message from the current England captain Jos Buttler would be that they needed to “go harder” in future games, something he reiterated after defeat against New Zealand in Cardiff last month.

Speaking to Sky Cricket during the interval, Morgan said: “I think, full well knowing that after the first game of the most recent series against New Zealand, that’s exactly what Jos Buttler reiterated.

“You sit back and you analyse the innings that’s just been and gone and you’d say that England didn’t throw many punches. That’s always a good indicator as to whether they went hard enough or not because every World Cup has something different and you want to be the point of difference.”

England briefly got off to a flyer with Jonny Bairstow flicking Trent Boult for six off the second delivery of the game and taking 12 runs off the opening over, but then eased off throughout the rest of the powerplay, finishing it 51-1 after 10 overs. For comparison, New Zealand ended their opening powerplay on 81-1.

“You want to set your marker out as soon as possible in the tournament,” added Morgan. “It might not be the first game but gain confidence in the process that got you to this place in the first place.

“When Jonny Bairstow clipped that six off Trent Boult we were all thinking, ‘Oh, this is going to be a beauty,’ and [New Zealand were] up against it, with 12 off the first over you sort of thought, now is your opportunity to apply pressure.

“It was a different dynamic at the top of the order now with Malan and Bairstow. It’s probably more responsibility on Bairstow to lead the charge and be that pace-setter whereas previously it’s been Jason Roy who does it almost in default mode – that is his natural game. Again, I’d probably say ‘no’, they didn’t go hard enough.”

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