Eoin Morgan: Mott’s job on line if England flop at Cricket World Cup – but I don’t want it
Cricket World Cup-winning former England captain Eoin Morgan has played down talk of taking over from under-fire current white-ball coach Matthew Mott.
Mott’s position has been called into question by England’s dismal defence of their 50-over title in India, where only a miracle will see them scrape into the knockout stage.
The Australian’s authority is also in the spotlight amid reports that he has lost the dressing room, fuelled in part by Morgan’s diagnosis that “there’s something else going on” beyond poor form.
Morgan said speculation that he could replace Mott was “a bit far-fetched but everyone is entitled to interpret my comments”.
He added: “No one in the changing room, captain or coach or any of the players can explain the situation they find themselves in.
“But I am very happy and cemented, hopefully, in what I am going to do in the future. I spend a lot of time home now with my young family which is great and I love watching on.”
Morgan, who now works as a pundit after retiring from cricket last year, said England chiefs should show patience with Mott ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup defence.
“They are double world champions for a reason, they are not a bad team by any stretch,” he told Sky Sports.
“Matthew Mott is going through the biggest challenge of his England coaching career at the moment and it is one that he should be given time to put right, certainly towards the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA.”
England need to win their three remaining games at the current tournament, starting with Australia on Saturday, to avoid an embarrassing group-stage exit.
At a bare minimum, they need to climb off the bottom of the 10-team table and into the top eight in order to cement their place in the next Champions Trophy in 2025.
Morgan added: “If England don’t qualify for the Champions Trophy the likes of [managing director] Rob Key and the ECB will come under increasing pressure surrounding [Mott’s] job.”