Middlesex to rest England ODI captain Eoin Morgan
Monday 3 August 2015 13:29, UK
Middlesex are to rest England's out-of-form limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan ahead of the one-day series against Australia.
He will miss Middlesex’s next four games – three Royal London One-Day Cup matches and a Championship clash with Sussex before England take on the tourists at the end of this month.
Morgan has had a wretched season with the bat. In the County Championship, only young fast bowler Tom Helm has a lower average in the Middlesex squad. Morgan has scored 61 runs in six innings – an average of 10.17.
In the Royal London Cup he is rock-bottom of the Middlesex averages – 6.67 – having scored just 20 runs in three matches.
James Franklin will take over as captain of the one-day side, with Middlesex hoping a break can help Morgan with his form.
"Eoin has been on the go since October 2014 and is in need of a rest," said Middlesex director of cricket Angus Fraser.
"He has been working his socks off away from matches trying to find the form he wants and it has so far not brought the results he is looking for.
"We believe a week or two away from cricket will allow him to recharge and to play the cricket he wants for the remainder of the season."
England and Australia will play one Twenty20 match on August 31 and then five 50-over matches.
Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire's director of cricket and an England selector, told Sky Sports News HQ: “I am sure there has been a lot of discussion between Eoin and my fellow selector Angus. It’s a brave decision for him to sit out a couple of weeks of cricket but hopefully it will get him in a good place for what is going to be a very important series against Australia after the Ashes has finished.
“We have a growing number of cricketers who are playing for a number teams around the world like Eoin is doing. These guys are now not just county cricketers with some international commitments on top of that.
"Eoin has been playing non-stop cricket across the world with lots of travelling and lots of pressurised cricket, including a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
"The chances of a break are few and far between so it is good of Middlesex to give him an opportunity to recharge and hopefully it will do Eoin the world of good with a big series coming up.”
