Eoin Morgan ready to stay England cricket skipper for next TWO T20 World Cups

EOIN MORGAN has revealed for the first time he could lead England into the next TWO Twenty20 World Cups.

Morgan was expected to stand down as white-ball captain after the T20 World Cup in Australia next October — when he will be 34.

But now he says he might stay in charge until the tournament in India in 2021 as long as his form, fitness and enthusiasm remain intact.

Morgan’s calm leadership was a key factor in England’s triumph in the 50-over World Cup this summer.

And after several weeks of contemplation, he decided to continue as limited-overs skipper.

His decision brought much relief to England because, with new coach Chris Silverwood taking over from Trevor Bayliss, they did not want a change of captain, too.

'UNNERVING'

Now, as England prepare to take on New Zealand for the first time since the nerve-shredding final at Lord’s, Morgan has outlined his plans.

He said: “I want to drive through to the T20 World Cup in Australia and make a call after that.

“I won’t say I’ll be finished after that as I’d be afraid I’d only creep over the line and maybe fall off. I don’t want to let anyone down.

“Going back to play for Middlesex after the World Cup win was a bit unnerving.

“I didn’t know how I’d feel going out to bat or being back in the field. But the drive was certainly there. Then I took a couple of weeks to think and things became clearer.

“We have a special group of players, I think we can do something even more special down the line.”

Morgan’s steady hand at the tiller is crucial for England as their experimental team faces the Kiwis in five T20 games, starting late tonight.

With many big names rested, only three players who faced the Black Caps in the 50-over final at Lord’s — Jonny Bairstow, Morgan and Adil Rashid — are in the squad here.

Morgan, whose side lost their second warm-up match against a New Zealand XI by eight wickets on Tuesday, added: “The young guys are really talented, we’re lucky in that regard.

“Matt Parkinson, Tom Banton, Pat Brown have a lot of talent. Converting that to a new platform is the challenge for them.

WINNING COMES FIRST

“First and foremost, we want to win this series — but we also need to look at these guys.

“The majority will definitely get exposure at the highest level.

“There aren’t a lot of places up for grabs in our best XI or our best 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup next year.
“But we’re also building for the tournament following that.”

The Kiwis were widely praised for the manner in which they accepted World Cup defeat — after the match and Super Over were both tied.

England won as they hit more boundaries in the original game.

And veteran batsman Ross Taylor, 35, said: “I have three young kids, two of them remember it and one has no idea what happened!

“The rules are the rules and you get on with it.

“You accept you played in one of the greatest one-day games of all time, if not the greatest — and certainly the greatest final.”

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