By Will Jackson
England batsman Eoin Morgan has called on the senior players to stand up ahead of the upcoming one-day series in Sri Lanka.
With England beginning their preparations for the 2015 World Cup with a run of one-day internationals on the sub-continent, Morgan has backed the exciting young talent in the squad to flourish but thinks the senior men need to lead the way in order for the team to progress.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk, Morgan said: “What really excites me is the young guys coming through. Guys like Moeen (Ali), Gary Ballance and Ben Stokes, guys with huge talent.
“I actually felt sorry for them a little bit because they didn’t get a lot of support from senior players and yet showed their promise, which is a good sign.
“If we can create the right environment for these guys to come through and flourish, we’ll be doing a lot of right things.”
He added: “We need senior players performing consistently and we need the younger guys coming through contributing and the more often than not we can do that, the more often we can take the game to the opposition and create pressure and in turn win games.
“If we can gain momentum at the start of the series, who knows what can happen.”
Another one of those players who is establishing himself in the England side is Jos Buttler. The wicketkeeper stunned onlookers when he smashed a brutal 61-ball century against Sri Lanka in May and Morgan thinks the 24-year-old could be on the verge of doing something really special.
He said: “Playing with Jos is very similar to playing with Kevin Pietersen, they show match-winning attributes at any stage of the game.
“I remember sitting and watching every ball of that innings and it was outstanding.
“Playing with him is very exciting; he comes up with new things and takes things to a new level. It wouldn’t surprise me if he came through and did something remarkable.”
Looking ahead to the seven match series in Sri Lanka, the veteran of 113 one-day internationals is prepared for the tough conditions, but is determined to bounce back after a disappointing summer in which he only scored one international half-century - that coming in the final game of the summer as England beat India at Edgbaston.
Speaking about his recent form, Morgan said: “That motivates me to want to do better in Sri Lanka and to rectify things that went wrong during the summer, I’m really excited for it.”
He added: “The weather is so alien to us. The humidity is up and around 100% and most of the time its 30-35 degrees which is draining. It’s almost like you leave the oven open in the kitchen with the door closed and you’re there all day.
“The other test is spin bowling, they’re very spin orientated and the wickets might be conducive to that but it will also be conducive to positive batting and going out there and taking the game to the opposition which I’m really excited about.”
The England vice-captain also paid tribute to the innings of Rohit Sharma yesterday, after the Indian batsman smashed the record for the highest individual score in a one-day international by hitting 264 against Sri Lanka, becoming the first man to make two international double hundreds in limited-overs cricket.
The Middlesex man said it would help take the game to another level: “I think it’s a phenomenal effort and it’s brilliant for the game, it’s entertaining. For players, not just the public – to strive, to dream to have an innings like that.
“Whether it happens or not, who knows but to train with the ambition of doing something like that puts a smile on your face.”