Eoin Morgan has ruled himself out from replacing Matthew Mott as England’s white-ball head coach, stating that Mott should be given “time to put right” his side’s dismal performance in the 2023 World Cup.
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Following England’s fourth consecutive loss of the tournament to India, there were suggestions in the media that Morgan could step in to coach his former side after the competition. An article in the Daily Telegraph said: “Nobody is better qualified in English cricket to relaunch this one-day side than the man who built it in the first place.”
However, speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, for whom he works as a commentator, Morgan has ruled himself out of the running for the role and put his support behind Mott to take the England team forward into next year’s T20 World Cup. “It’s a bit far-fetched,” Morgan said of the speculation. “I’m very happy and cemented hopefully in what I’m going to do for the future. I spend a lot of time at home now with my young family which is great, and I love watching on.
“I actually think talk of replacing captain and coach is not a good idea at the moment, simply because of the high turnover of World Cups. They’re double World Champions for a reason, they are not a bad team by any stretch. Matthew Mott is going through his biggest challenge of his England coaching career at the moment and it’s one he should be given time to put right certainly towards the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA next year.”
However, Morgan went on to say that failure to qualify for the Champions Trophy could put pressure on Mott’s position. England must finish in the top eight at the World Cup to confirm their place at the 2025 event. “If the England team don’t qualify for the Champions Trophy, the likes of Rob Key and the board – the England and Wales Cricket Board – will come increasing pressure surrounding his [Mott’s] job,” said Morgan.
During England’s defeat to India, Morgan suggested while commentating on the game that internal problems in the dressing room could be behind their poor performances. However, Mott refuted those allegations in his post-match press conference, asserting that the squad is “incredibly tight-knit”.
“Everybody’s entitled to interpret my comments,” Morgan said. “I was very clear in what I thought might be a cause to the performances the England team have produced throughout this World Cup and simply the contributing factors which surround it, because nobody in the changing room – captain or coach – can explain the situation they find themselves in.”
England’s next match will be against Australia in Ahmedabad on Saturday, November 4.