- England are due to fly out to Bangladesh for their autumn tour on Thursday
- One-day captain Eoin Morgan will not be joining the rest of the squad
- He and Alex Hales opted against travelling to the sub-continent
- Graeme Swann had defended the pair’s decision not to travel
- Former England spinner criticised those who have questioned Morgan’s commitment to his team and position as skipper
- READ: Graeme Swann’s exclusive interview with Sportsmail 1
|
View
comments
Eoin Morgan showed courage in sticking to his decision not to tour Bangladesh this winter, according to Graeme Swann. England’s cricketers are due to fly out to the sub-continent for their autumn tour on Thursday but they will do so without their limited-overs captain, who opted against travelling due to his concerns about security in the region. His decision to stay behind has drawn immense criticism, with several former England captains saying he should have been satisfied by the assurances offered by ECB security chief Reg Dickason.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Eoin Morgan will not be travelling to Bangladesh with England on Thursday
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Graeme Swann has supported the national captain’s decision not to make the trip
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Morgan has security concerns despite safety assurances from the ECB
Michael Vaughan said Morgan made a ‘huge mistake’, Nasser Hussain suggested the move would undermine his authority and team director Andrew Strauss revealed he was ‘disappointed’ despite giving the players the option to remain at home. Swann does not agree with such sentiments. The off-spinner, who claimed 255 Test wickets for his country and was once the world’s No 1 bowler, argued that elements of the media and some ex-pros were too quick to bash Morgan.
covering some of the most pressing issues at the heart of the English game Swann launched a robust defence of his former team-mate. He said: ‘In England we like a good moan about things. Subconsciously I think some people outside the game want to plant seeds in the minds of some of the players in terms of how they should think – ‘you should be thinking he let you down if you lose later down the line’.
None of them do.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Morgan has been criticised by former England captains and members of the media
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Alex Hales has also decided to remain behind in England and miss the one-day series
‘That’s a filip and a bonus for Morgan’s standing in the game. If you get five-for in this country, the majority of the press write how well you’ve bowled and two or three people say ‘he should have got six’.
‘It’s just the country we live in.
‘I think that shows a lot of courage, a lot of moral standing and to turn around and say ‘no, b*******, I don’t care what anyone else says, this is my life and my decision’ I’ve got a lot of admiration for – as I have the guys who are going.
ENGLAND ODI SQUAD FOR BANGLADESH TOUR
Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex)
‘It’s not an easy decision to make. I’ve been there and it’s a horrible situation to be in.’
The members of the England team who are jetting out to Bangladesh, and onwards to India later in the winter, have come out in support of their skipper. And Swann thinks that shows Morgan’s decision has not caused fractures within the national setup.
‘It speaks volumes that every single member of the team has come out and said ‘he’s our captain, he comes straight back into the team when he gets back, we support his decision’ and I think that’s right,’ he said.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Swann says Morgan showed ‘courage and moral standing’ by sticking to his initial decision
‘It is a shame Morgan isn’t going from a team point of view but I fully understand it and I fully back his decision as well.’
Alex Hales will not be able to add to his four ODI tons this season after the Nottinghamshire opener also declined the invitation to tour.
‘From an absolutely selfish point of view, yes it is (a shame not to see Hales in the ODI team) but that’s what people have got to turn around and look at,’ said Swann.
‘Are they looking at what’s best for Alex Hales or what’s best for themselves? If anyone can turn around and say ‘what’s best for Alex Hales is to listen to other people’ then that’s just about the most selfish attitude people can take.’
The ICC Champions Trophy 2017 tournament will be held in England and Wales between 1 and 18 June 2017.
The ticket ballot for the tournament closes on 30 September 2016.
Apply for tickets by visiting ICC-cricket.com/tickets5.
- SHARE PICTURE
References
- ^ READ: Graeme Swann’s exclusive interview with Sportsmail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^