England one-day captain Eoin Morgan says his side will begin their ODI series against New Zealand having lost ground on the world’s leading teams.
Morgan oversaw a dismal World Cup for England in February, and has a new-look squad to face the Kiwis.
The five-match series begins at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
“For a long time now, we’ve been behind the eight-ball in one-day cricket and we’ve fallen behind by a long way, and it’s time for a catch-up,” said Morgan.
“It still might take a little bit of time but certainly I can get my views across, things can be a lot clearer and I’ll certainly be involved in selection, so I’ve got the squad that I’ve wanted.”
Morgan, 28, took over the one-day captaincy from Alastair Cook in December, two months before the start of the World Cup, in which England were beaten by Bangladesh and knocked out in the group stage.
England v New Zealand limited-overs schedule |
|---|
| 9 June: 1st ODI, Edgbaston |
| 12 June: 2nd ODI, The Oval |
| 14 June: 3rd ODI, Rose Bowl |
| 17 June: 4th ODI, Trent Bridge |
| 20 June: 5th ODI, Chester-le-Street |
| 23 June: Twenty20, Old Trafford |
Established players James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ian Bell, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara and James Tredwell have been left out of the squad to face New Zealand.
Relatively inexperienced players James Taylor, Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Adil Rashid, David Willey and Mark Wood have been included, as has uncapped Kent wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings.
“I’m excited to see them play, I’m excited to see them take the opportunity that presents itself over the course of the series,” added Morgan.
“The guys we have brought in do something different and we want that to continue.
“If they play as well as they have done in county cricket things will be very exciting.”
New Zealand have already secured a draw in a two-match Test series against England this summer.
The Kiwis excelled at the World Cup, losing in the final to Australia, having thrashed England by eight wickets along the way.
“I think it’s an exciting squad England have picked,” said Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum.
“It’s obviously a little bit raw but it’s full of talented players and guys who are pretty aggressive with both bat and ball.
“I’m sure they’ll be excited about this series. They look like a team that is wanting to play some aggressive cricket.”
Read more:https://www.bbc.com
