Eoin Morgan says England's new generation can shine at World T20
Tuesday 15 March 2016 10:27, UK
England captain Eoin Morgan says his World Twenty20 squad is a different proposition to teams that flopped badly in the past.
England begin their campaign on Wednesday against the unpredictable West Indies in Mumbai, with Morgan bullish about the country's chances.
The Middlesex man was at the crease when England won the competition in 2010, still the country's only major piece of ICC silverware.
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They reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup, but since then have not made an impression, embarrassingly bundled out of last year's World Cup at the group stage.
Of the 15 men on duty in India, six are contesting their first major tournament and just six others were at the last World Cup.
"I think this feels different," Morgan said on the eve of match. "We've a different group of players. It's a new energy.
"It's an exciting time for English cricket given the talent that we have in our group, and the attitude in taking the game to the opposition. It certainly feels different in that regard.
"We're a developing side, a young side, and I think the more experience that we gain the smarter the cricket we'll play. I think in this tournament playing an aggressive brand of cricket and being brave, but playing smart cricket along the way, is part and parcel of it."
Ten shirts appear to be accounted for in England's first-choice XI, with the only debate seemingly between Yorkshire pair Liam Plunkett and David Willey for the final seamer's slot.
Plunkett was preferred for the warm-up win over New Zealand, conceding 19 runs off one disappointing over, while Willey took a hat-trick against his own team when he was inserted into a local Mumbai XI.
"You can keep guessing," Morgan said. "Plunkett is an important player in the squad, with his extra bit of height and different trajectory to everyone else.
"Wills swings it up front, comes back into middle and bowls change-ups. He has a canny knack of taking wickets and that's something we've struggled doing for a while. That's one of his strengths."
Whoever earns the nod will know they face some explosive players in the West Indies line-up, with Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Darren Sammy all capable of brutal hitting.
"They have a number of dangerous players, the West Indies have been a strong side in the past," he said of the 2012 winners. "They have a number of individual players who are very strong. But it's important for us as a young talented side to focus on what we do best.
"The first game is a tough game, but certainly it's not the be all and end all. It's not about getting out of the traps early and playing your best game first up. It's about pacing yourself, picking up confidence and putting in performances when they really matter."
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