(Reuters) – England are no strangers to adversity at World Cups and have proved they can fight their way back to glory, former captain Eoin Morgan said, calling on Jos Buttler’s side to quickly put their opening defeat by New Zealand behind them.
England, who won the title in 2019 as well as the Twenty20 World Cup last year, were thrashed by nine wickets in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday.
Morgan said setbacks were part and parcel of World Cups.
“Eight of this squad were there in 2019, when we lost three group stage matches on the way to lifting the trophy, and they will definitely lean on that experience,” he wrote in a column for the ICC website.
“There is no side that goes from start to finish at a World Cup without experiencing some sort of adversity, whether it’s losing games or having hiccups within games themselves. This will be no different.
“There will be a lot of calm heads in the dressing room, but there will also be a lot of honesty.”
Morgan added that he still had complete faith in the team.
“The advantage of having this format is that one bad day doesn’t ruin your tournament, when previously one bad day could have you home within a week,” he said.
“I still think they can and will win this World Cup.”
Nasser Hussain, another former England captain, said England could not afford any more slip-ups.
“It is rare for an England white-ball side to be outclassed these days but that was the case yesterday,” Hussain wrote in the Daily Mail.
“Now they must dust themselves down, get a win under their belts in the next game in Dharamsala, and try to get on a run.”
England next face Bangladesh on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
