Eoin Morgan has been short of runs but players hang on his every word: Nasser Hussain

Cricketer-turned-expert Nasser Hussain feels fast bowler Tymal Mills has to do a good job and pick wickets regularly for the team in the absence of pacer Jofar Archer during the T20 World Cup. Archer won’t be available because of his recurring elbow issues. The England Cricket Board (ECB) selectors have recalled Mills for the showpiece event due to his ability to bowl fast and with control. Hussain feels the pacer has an X factor and has the experience of playing different T20 leagues across the globe.

The former England captain though is worried about Eoin Morgan’s form leading up to the global event. The southpaw had a horrendous Indian Premier League (IPL) season, wherein he scored just 133 runs in 17 games for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Hussain feels the team is world-class with some terrific players but it also has to address a few issues.

“The first thing to say is England remain a fabulous Twenty20side and have a very strong chance of completing a white-ball World Cup double here in the next month. But there are issues they must address in their two warm-up games for this tournament, starting against India today, because they are in a slightly different place than they were ahead of what became their 50-over World Cup-winning campaign in 2019,” Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.

The cricketer-turned-expert further stated that the team must learn to play without Archer in all the formats especially in T20 format. He has also said Eoin Morgan has a couple of games to try out different combinations at the death before the actual matches during the T20 World Cup and Mills could be one of them.

“That is where Tymal Mills comes in as one of the best death bowlers in world franchise cricket and that makes him a key figure, because even someone with the experience of Chris Jordan hasn’t quite got it right in recent times. It is an aspect of T20cricket England have to master because, as we saw in the last World Cup final five years ago, they can get 90 percent of their game spot on and then lose it by conceding four sixes in the last over.”

Hussain feels Eoin Morgan needs to get runs under his belt

Hussain however felt the biggest worry for England would be the form of Morgan. But he also said that as a leader everybody listens to him. The southpaw though has to score some runs in the warm-up matches against India and New Zealand.

“Then there is the form of the captain himself. Morgan’s leadership, as we saw with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, is as good as ever and in big tournaments, England would not want anybody else in charge. The players hang on his every word. But he has been very short of runs and he will want to put that right against India or New Zealand.”