England’s white-ball captain Eoin Morgan has on Monday (February 3) hinted that he could stay as captain until the 2023 World Cup, as he prepares to lead the national side in the upcoming three-match One Day International series in South Africa.
He is set to lead England in the 50-over format for the first time since historic World Cup 2019 triumph over New Zealand at Lord’s in South Africa ODIs starting Tuesday (Feb 4) at Newlands.
Speaking on the eve of the ODI series opener in Cape Town, Morgan insisted that the hunger to lift ICC trophies has not diminished after their maiden World Cup triumph, saying England will stick to the similar processes that they followed ahead of the last mega event.
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He also made it clear that England is eyeing more ICC trophies in the shortest form of the game in the coming years but said their main focus is currently on the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2020 with the next ICC tournaments set for a year later in India – 2021 T20 World Cup and World Cup 2023.
Morgan told reporters on Monday, “Before the next (50-over) World Cup we have two T20 World Cups that we are eyeing, so this series against South Africa will allow us to build a broader squad so that in three or four years’ time we have a substantial group to select from, just like we did before this past World Cup.”
He further added, “The next three World Cups will be the same, stick to the process by which we are trying to get better the whole time, and that includes younger guys coming through to test older guys who hold the positions at the moment.”
Meanwhile, the 33-year-old hopes to play in the upcoming global events but admitted that he is unsure that he would be able to help England to defend their World Cup title in 2023.
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Morgan said of the 2023 tournament, “I haven't looked that far ahead. But I've looked to the next T20 World Cups and I feel there's enough space to say I'm hoping to be here for both. But things change, and when you make decisions to stay on, the decision is often taken out of your hands.”
He continued, “For me, it's a matter of focusing on this year's T20 World Cup, and putting us in the best position to try and win it. But I think over the last four-and-a-bit years, I've been in the best form of my life. I think the level of experience I have now and has grown in confidence as a leader, that has allowed me to be the best version of myself.
Coming back from the five T20 matches we played in New Zealand (in November), I felt physically and mentally very good, so I want to continue with that.”
The skipper also insisted that England doesn’t dwell on the World Cup champions tag, saying the South Africa series will help them to build the squad for the upcoming events.
Morgan signed off by saying, “We don’t call ourselves that. Everybody refers to us like that, which is awesome. But our goal was to win the World Cup, we managed to achieve that and it was an unbelievable feeling. It has given us the platform to build for the next cycle.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
