ICC World Cup 2019 | Eoin Morgan downplays Kevin Pietersen's criticism on recent dismissal
Getty
Eoin Morgan subtly hit back at Kevin Pietersen after the latter had earlier Tweeted about the England captainās āweaknessā after being dismissed by Australiaās Mitchell Starc. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes admitted that last one week has been a tough period for the English cricket team.
England fell to an embarrassing 64-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Australia at Lordās on Tuesday. Eoin Morgan &Ā Co. won the toss and opted to bowl first based on the overcast conditions but things didnāt go as planned. Openers Aaron Finch and David Warner put up a 123-run partnership to establish a firm base for the innings. However, it was the Australian bowling duo of Mitchell Starc and Jason Behrendorff who starred on the day as the picked four and five wickets each.
There were a lot of comments that were passed on social media regarding the loss but one Tweet that stood out was that of former England batsman - Kevin Pietersen.Ā
"The England captain backing to square leg when Starc bowled his first delivery to him made me think England may have a problem over the next week. I hope not, but I've not seen a captain show such weakness for a while," Pietersen Tweeted.
Morgan hit back with an ice-cold comment that was meant to neutralise the claim made by Pietersen.
"Really? Excellent. It didn't feel that way at all," replied the England captain.
Question: In World Cups you haven't beaten Aus in 29 years. Is there even on a subconscious level a fear of them?
ā Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 25, 2019
E Morgan: No.
Question: Why?
E Morgan: Because I've only played against them in 2 World Cups. 29 years doesn't mean - I'm 32 years old. Thanks mate, nice.#CWC19 pic.twitter.com/CV9ltBV0PZ
Meanwhile, England all-rounder Ben Stokes admitted that the situation is tough right now in the England dressing room but asserts that they will not take a step backwards at the moment.
"Two back-to-back losses can sometimes make you think differently as a team. But we are not going to go away from our method of playing. We just need to adjust to situations and conditions, but we are not for one minute going to take a backward step. Especially in these last two group games.
"We have to really dig deep in these last couple of games; not go back on how we know we play well. Everybody's obviously disappointed in the last two games, but this is our World Cup and we are going to go about it the way we know how we play best. We know how much the World Cup means to fans. It means a lot to players as well. It's one of the greatest times to be a cricketer: representing your country at a World Cup," Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Stokes, who scored 89 from 115 balls, dismissed claims that the England players are lacking confidence based on recent results heading into crucial matches against New Zealand and India.
"We make better decisions now. Obviously it doesn't look that way when we've bowled out quite cheaply in the last two games, but we are a very, very confident team in terms of our batting line-up and these last two games aren't going to knock our confidence at all," Stokes added.
