England captain Eoin Morgan suffers fractured finger just days before Cricket World Cup
The skipper badly injured his hand during fielding drills but bosses are hopeful he will be ready for the May 30 opener
ENGLAND captain Eoin Morgan has broken his finger just days before the start of the Cricket World Cup.
The skipper, 32, badly injured his left index finger during fielding drills on Friday morning - but bosses are hopeful he will be ready for the May 30 opener.
England take on South Africa in six days and may have to take to the field without one of their star men in Morgan.
He will definitely miss Saturday's warm-up game against Australia - but bosses are hopeful he will be fit for the tournament curtain-raiser.
The host nation are favourites to win the World Cup on home soil, with Morgan not only key for his explosive, innovative batting, but also his tactical nous.
In the recent five-match ODI series with Pakistan - a 4-0 series win - the skipper averaged 221, with three fifties from his four innings.
Along with Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Joe Root, he's part of the most-feared middle-order at the tournament.
ENGLAND OBSESSED BY 500
Morgan was rushed to hospital to undergo scans earlier on Friday, with being ruled out of the entire tournament a very real possibility - but the latest update seems positive.
England had been hoping to become the first team to break the 500-barrier this summer, with India captain Virat Kohli calling Morgan "obsessed" with the dream.
Morgan's men have smashed past the 400-mark four times in the past four years and are getting close and closer to making history.
At a pre-tournament media conference, Kohli claimed: “They seem to be obsessed with getting to 500 before anyone else.
"They smash it from ball one and for the full 50 overs.
"It could be pretty high-scoring but I don’t see much high-scoring later in the tournament because of the pressure of matches.
"When you get closer to the knockout phases there is going to be greater pressure and no-one will go gung-ho from ball one.
"Generally, teams will find a way but I see pressure playing a massive role."
Without Morgan though, England would find it that bit more difficult to reach 500 - with James Vince potentially the player to replace him in the XI.