Dubai, UAE: England white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan has stressed on the importance of continuing to play in the manner they have in the last two years as the team gears up for the upcoming men’s T20 World Cup.
England will open the campaign in the 2021 edition of the tournament against defending champions West Indies at the Abu Dhabi Stadium on October 23. “I think our biggest strength is the consistency which we’ve performed at over the last two years,” ICC quoted Morgan as saying.
“I think in T20 cricket because the game can change quite quickly and there’s a huge group of talented teams within our group, I think every game is important to us,” he added.
The England captain pointed out the importance of finding momentum early in the UAE to become the first side to have both the ODI World Cup trophy and T20 World Cup title at the same time.
“I think we’re gathering momentum nicely, and I think the important side to that from our perspective is that we’re continuously trying to get better and learn as we go on, simply because the tournament is held away from home,” said Morgan.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” he averred.
Carlos Brathwaite, the star of the last men’s T20 World Cup, had smashed four consecutive sixes in the last over of the final against England to help West Indies claim the title in 2016.
“The evolution of T20 cricket and the role it’s played in our great game is hugely significant for the development of the game and the popularity of the game,” said Morgan.
“It’s huge. It’s been a long time coming. We haven’t had one since 2016,” he added.
South Africa and Australia join England and the West Indies in Group 1 of the Super 12s along with two yet-to-be-determined qualifiers from Round 1 for this year’s men’s T20 World Cup.
England will play arch-rivals Australia on October 30 in Dubai International Stadium and will face South Africa in Sharjah on November 6.
