India vs England | It's about finding best combination for the team ahead of World T20, says Eoin Morgan
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England's limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan has revealed that the ECB is yet to fix a concrete middle-order batting line-up ahead of the T20I World Cup to be held in Australia in 2020. Morgan also heaped praise on SRH batsman Alex Hales, whose unbeaten 58 helped level the series against India.
The England cricket team put in a commendable performance with the ball in order to restrict Virat Kohli & Co. to just 148/5 from 20-overs in the second T20I in the three-match series. An impressive performance from middle-order batsman Hales was enough for the Britishers to pull off a win and level the series 1-1. But skipper Eoin Morgan was adamant that the hosts’ still need to figure out a strong and concrete middle-order ahead of the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia two years from now.
"We're two years out from a World T20, we haven't devised what our best top six is yet. We've been very flexible or as flexible as we can bar the opening partnership in the last three games. The majority of our top six want to open the batting, but it's about finding the best combination for the team in order to win the World T20 in 2020, or at least come close to compete," Morgan told Cricbuzz.
After England openers, Jason Roy and the high-flying Jos Buttler, failed to give the hosts the start they required, 29-year-old Hales stepped in and put in a match-winning performance as he hit an unbeaten 58 to earn the Three Lions their first win of the series. Morgan was impressed by his display as he revealed that the management had a lot of confidence in Hales’ abilities.
"He really did play brilliantly. He's played a lot of T20 International cricket, and he's obviously played a lot around the world - and he certainly used that tonight.
"Having the composure to play quite a mature innings, as he did. He's not known as a big hitter but anybody who watched the game at Trent Bridge will realize he hits the ball quite a long way - even yorkers. We had quite a lot of confidence in him, but it is very nice to get over the line," Morgan added.
