Eoin Morgan right man to replace Alastair Cook for 2015 World Cup, say Hussain and Atherton

Eoin Morgan is the right man to revitalise England’s World Cup bid, say Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton.

Morgan has succeeded Alastair Cook as England captain following a selectors' meeting on Friday and will now lead his side in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.

The 28-year-old’s one-day form is actually worse than Cook's – he averages just 25.45 this year in comparison to Cook’s 27.52 – but has scored 427 runs at an average of 71.16 on the eight occasions he has captained England.

Former skipper Hussain hopes Morgan can revive England’s fortunes after their latest one-day defeat, the 5-2 series loss to Sri Lanka.

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“What you can’t survive as captain is scoring no runs when the team are losing and that’s what’s been happening for Alastair in one-day cricket,” Hussain told Sky Sports News HQ.

“The only way England are going to do well in this World Cup is if their star, their gun one-day player Eoin Morgan, finds some form.

“Morgan, with the captain’s armband on, has shown signs of the player that he was and still can be. I think it is the right decision because England need him to fire.”

Atherton also backed the decision and reiterated his belief that Cook – who captained England in 69 one-day internationals, winning 36 and losing 30 – should never have been appointed as England's one-day captain.

“There’s no question that the focus on Alastair Cook over the last week or two has shielded many others from deficiencies too – Eoin Morgan being one because he’s been short of runs,” he reflected.

“But Morgan is a certain pick in the one-day side in his best form – and even slightly short of his best form you’d still say he’s a sure-fire one-day pick, which Cook wasn’t. When he’s in form he’s one of the best one-day players in England and he’s a fairly cool customer under pressure.

What you can’t survive as captain is scoring no runs when the team are losing and that’s what’s been happening for Alastair in one-day cricket.

“Morgan does need runs. Recent history suggests that captaincy has helped to lift his form. Let’s hope that’s the case in the World Cup as well.

“The change allows a more dynamic line-up at the top of the order with the change of captain and allow somebody like Alex Hales to come in and get a run in the side which he may not have been able to do.

“Morgan looks a fairly cool customer. Middlesex didn’t have a particulary good season in one-day cricket under his captaincy; so you wouldn’t expect drastic differences because one-day cricket is a very formulaic form of the game.

“Captains are hamstrung – they are strait-jacketed by the number of fielders they can have inside and outside the circle and that kind of thing.”

He added: “I had grave doubts about Cook’s elevation to the one-day captaincy three years ago. I thought it was the wrong call then – I thought it was a decision taken through the prism of Test match cricket.

“I’m sorry that they made it that way because we’ve got to a stage now just before the World Cup where there is a change of captain, which is not ideal.

“Let’s face it, England can’t do much worse than they have in been doing in recent times in one-day cricket. So it’s a bold move, they’ve thrown a bit of caution to the wind; they’ll send some young players out there to play with freedom hopefully and see where they go.”

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen also came out in support of the man who is set to be named the new one-day captain. Pietersen also stated that he would like to return to the England side under the new skipper.

"Great news that @Eoin16 (Eoin Morgan) is new England 1-day captain. Top player, leader and bloke. Hope I get to play for him," Pietersen posted on Twitter.

Watch England’s Tri-series against Australia and India – then the ICC Cricket World Cup – live on Sky Sports in 2015.