Eoin Morgan has warned white-ball coach Matthew Mott his job is on the line if England fail in a second successive World Cup.
England’s squad depart for the Caribbean on Friday ahead of the defence of the T20 world title they won in Australia two years ago.
Mott and captain Jos Buttler are under pressure heading into that tournament after their team’s embarrassing early exit from last year’s 50-over World Cup in India.
England were also defending champions heading into that tournament but a run of six defeats in the first seven games sealed a humiliating first-round departure, with Mott extremely lucky to keep his job in the aftermath.
Morgan, who led England to victory in the 2019 ODI World Cup on home soil, was highly critical of Mott in his role as a TV analyst in India. The Australian last week hit back at the former captain, saying: “Morgs is there to give an opinion. Initially, you take it a bit personally but his opinion is actually none of my business. If he feels strongly about something, that’s for him.”
Yet Morgan, who retired one game into Mott’s tenure as coach in the summer of 2022, did not hold back when asked if it would be the end of the Mott-Buttler regime should England underperform again at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“It would be very, very close to it and I don’t think that’s being harsh,” he told Sky Sports.
“Even when I was captain and Trevor Bayliss was coach, the level of expectation on your shoulders given the quality of player both in the domestic game and in the changing room at your disposal leads to that expectation.
“We are one of the best countries in the world when it comes to resource, facility and we do continue to produce brilliant players and I don’t think this squad is any different.
“I don’t think the squad was any different in India in the 50-over World Cup so ultimately your job is to get the best out of that team for the tournament and if they don’t…”
England’s preparations for the World Cup were hindered by another washout in Cardiff on Tuesday. It means two of the first three games in their four-match series against Pakistan have been lost to the weather after the series opener in Leeds last week suffered a similar fate.
It risks leaving the squad, who round off the series at The Oval tomorrow, undercooked ahead of their tournament opener against Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday.
But Morgan believes things are looking up ahead of the World Cup.
“I think they have a brilliant squad and have selected well,” he said.
“I like the level of consistency and continuity they have shown between [their] pre-Christmas [series] in the West Indies with the batting line-up they went with and the selection they have made for this World Cup.
“There was clear thought and process that went into it. That sounds simple but during the World Cup [in India] I’m not sure that was there.”