BARBADOS, Jan 19: Limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan feels it’s “laughable” to use The Hundred as an excuse for England’s recent Ashes debacle and insisted that Test cricket has “always been the priority.”
England’s Test side slumped to 0-4 Ashes series defeat in Australia last week. They were completely outplayed in four games by the hosts, while Joe Root and his men managed a draw in the fourth Test by the skin of their teeth.
Morgan’s comments come after Test skipper Root urged the ECB to ‘prioritise’ his side following the Ashes defeat, implying there has been too much focus on limited-overs cricket since 2015.
“People that use that as an excuse don’t watch cricket,” Morgan told talkSPORT.
“Test match cricket has always been the priority – it’s the format for our elite players. Obviously times at the moment have been tough down in Australia during the Ashes but they always are. We’ve lost the last two series 4-0,” he added.
Root has argued for changes in the domestic structure to incorporate more red-ball matches at the height of summer when The Hundred – the ECB’s professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament – takes place.
“It’s laughable to point the finger at The Hundred. The Hundred is an unbelievable success,” Morgan said.
He added that the domestic structure in England is similar to that of Australia’s
“People need something to blame so they’ll point at probably the furthest point to reality,” said the England white-ball skipper
Morgan also said that for a “majority” of his cricketing career, limited-overs cricket was second fiddle, an “afterthought”.
“… 95 per cent of the time was spent around planning and prep for Test match cricket and then when we got to a World Cup, it was like, ‘Well, if we do well, great, but if we don’t, it’s fine’.”
England are scheduled to take on West Indies in a five match T20 series, starting Saturday. (PTI)
