Bowlers put Eoin Morgan in a conundrum before World Cup
England is bowling well department in the ongoing ODI series versus Pakistan which is putting Morgan into a dilemma of whom to select.
Dubai: ICC Men's Cricket World Cup is just around the corner, hence the problem for England's skipper Eoin Morgan is increasing but in a good way.
England has been doing fairly well in the bowling department in the ongoing ODI series against Pakistan which is putting Morgan into a dilemma of whom to select for the premier tournament.
Jofra Archer, who did not find a spot in the 15-member preliminary World Cup squad, showed decent performance in the one-off T20I against Pakistan, in which he took two wickets and gave away 29 runs in four overs.
However, Archer came out furiously in the first ODI where he bowled four over and gave away just six runs which included wicket of Pakistan opener, Fakhar Zaman. But rain washed out the first ODI. Hence, Morgan feels, it is going to be a tough decision to make.
"Unfortunately, a couple of guys from this 17 will miss out, and it's going to be a tough decision, regardless of how they perform in the rest of this series because of what they've contributed over a long period of time," ICC quoted Morgan, as saying.
Archer did not feature in the second ODI which gave David Willey a chance. Taking full benefit of the opportunity, Willey displayed a scintillating performance as he conceded just 57 runs and took two wickets in his 10 overs, best bowling figures among England bowlers in the match.
"I thought he bowled beautifully, even when he came back in the middle. He normally bowls a couple more up front, when it swings a bit more, but today it didn't actually swing that much, maybe for six or seven balls," he said.
Moreover, Morgan feels that Willey and Liam Plunkett have been performing really well under pressure.
"For the last four years, David Willey and Liam Plunkett, in particular, have reacted really well to being put under pressure. You ask them to do more and they respond really well. They probably don't get the praise that they should or that other guys get. But the more responsibility we've given them, they've reacted really well," Morgan said.
England will face Pakistan for their third ODI clash on May 14.