England captain Eoin Morgan fractures finger ahead of Cricket World Cup
"It’s the best I could have hoped for... as regards the first game of the tournament, I should be fit to go"
Saturday 25 May 2019 07:12, UK
England captain Eoin Morgan fractured his left index finger on Friday, but is expected to be fit for their World Cup opener against South Africa.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said Morgan was hurt during catching drills in a practice session ahead of a warm-up game against Australia in Southampton on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Mix.
Morgan will miss that game, but is expected to be available for selection when the World Cup starts on Thursday, with England hosting South Africa at The Oval.
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The 32-year-old was relieved the injury was not more serious, telling the Cricket World Cup Twitter account: "It's the best I could have hoped for. I dropped a catch at training and dislocated it earlier and there's a very small fracture in there.
"I'm going to miss the game [against Australia] unfortunately but as regards the first game of the tournament, I should be fit to go. I was delighted; I'm just disappointed I can't play golf this evening."
Morgan has been impressive for England recently, scoring two half-centuries in England's 4-0 ODI series victory over Pakistan earlier this month.
The left-hander is not the only England batsman in form, with Joe Root, Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler all cashing in during the recent series.
Spinner Liam Dawson was not present when the incident occurred, with his training session taking place at the Nursery Ground, but he was quickly made aware of the captain's predicament.
Asked to explain Morgan's importance to the squad, Dawson said: "He's massive. The cricket that's been played over the last four years has all been led by him. Hopefully he's fit and raring to go."
Morgan has played 222 ODIs, hitting 12 centuries and 45 half-centuries, and boasts an average of 39.64.
Watch England's warm-up matches against Australia (Saturday, 10.20am) and Afghanistan (Monday, 10.20am) live on Sky Sports
