World Cup can boost grassroots game in England: Morgan
DUBAI (92 News) - Eoin Morgan, the England captain, believes the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 at home in England and Wales will have a huge impact on cricket in Britain.
With less than a hundred days to go before the premier tournament begins on 30 May, Morgan likened the impact of a tournament such as the World Cup to that of the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
“It is so powerful,” Morgan told Press Association Sport . "When a World Cup comes around, it is very similar to the impact of an Olympics or Commonwealth Games – it brings people together. Participation in sports grew after London 2012, for example, and Team GB doing so well. The World Cup can do that, too. It can boost the grassroots game.”
Great fun this morning launching the #ICCWorldCup2019 trophy tour in Trafalgar Square pic.twitter.com/jWA7O8LXze
— Graeme Swann (@Swannyg66) February 19, 2019
England have been billed as heavy favourites to lift the trophy for the first time. Since crashing out of the group stage of the 2015 edition, there was a revolution of sorts in England's approach to limited-overs cricket, and their one-day outfit has risen to No. 1 on the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings.
They have lost just one out of the ten series they have played at home since, and have scored 6.23 runs per over during this period – comfortably the highest among all teams.
"When a World Cup comes around, it is very similar to the impact of an Olympics or Commonwealth Games – it brings people together."
But with five ODIs against the Windies, starting on Wednesday, 20 February, a solitary game against Ireland in Dublin, followed by five ODIs at home against Pakistan, there are several stops ahead of the World Cup.
“All of our build-up over the last three-and-a-half years has been towards this World Cup,” Morgan said. “We have been able to stay in the moment, take it game by game and series by series, and learn as much as we can from them along the way.
Who's going to win #CWC19? 🔮
We asked @Swannyg66, @DJNoreenKhan, @BeckAdlington, Clive Lloyd, @jimmy9, @chrishughes_22 & @isaguha! Here's what they said... pic.twitter.com/hmstzp2Kkm — Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) February 19, 2019
“At the moment, we have 11 games before the start of the World Cup. It is important for us to not stand still, learn as much as we can, and put ourselves into the best position we can. We are going to try and win the series in West Indies, and then we have the Pakistan series in the build-up.
"It would be easy to look ahead just purely to the World Cup, and forget about the progression that needs to be made between now and then. It is important to remain in the winning habit. We will lose games along the way, but obviously, staying true to our principles of being the best team we can be and sticking to our methods."
