England captain Eoin Morgan feels 50-over and T20 cricket getting more alike
Wednesday 25 January 2017 10:26, UK
Eoin Morgan sees little difference between 50-over and Twenty20 cricket these days as he prepares his England side for their T20 series in India.
England are in Kanpur for the first of three T20 internationals that will bring their tour of India to a close, having already lost the Test and one-day international series.
Limited overs skipper Morgan is firmly focused on the 50-over Champions Trophy on home soil this summer and feels there is plenty to be gained for that tournament over the next three games.
Live International T20 Cricket
England's squad shows little difference between the formats, with only fast bowlers Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan joining it from the players beaten 2-1 in the 50-over series.
Mills seems likely to play in the series opener in the absence of David Willey, who will miss at least the opening game with a shoulder injury he sustained on Sunday.
"What we're seeing now is your 50-over team is almost identical to your T20 team. The same risk level and skill level you have to show in both forms is pretty evident," said Morgan, whose side scored at least 320 in each of the 50-over matches.
"Around the 2015 World Cup you might have had three or four changes between the two groups. You might have had specialist T20 players coming in but we only really have one or two now.
"Fifty-over and 20-over cricket are similar and probably (getting) more alike. It will happen naturally but the difference will be between being a Test player and a white-ball player.
"Going from the series we've just played where bowlers have found it difficult, honing your specific skills into T20 cricket can be relevant.
"I think confidence is the big word in T20 cricket, confidence and momentum. At the moment the guys are feeling a lot more confident than they maybe were after game two.
"Having had a win under our belt we're looking forward to a three-match series in what could potentially be very exciting. It's a great place to play T20 cricket so everybody is looking forward to it.
"We came here last year with a hugely inexperienced T20 team and got to the final, so the attitude and desire isn't a problem it's just tying the skills together."
