“Development of our game is more important than a series win”: Eoin Morgan opens up ahead of West Indies vs England T20I series

West Indies vs England: Eoin Morgan has said that developing the players is more important than winning the T20 series.

England will face West Indies for a 5-game T20I series, which is their first T20 assignment after the T20 World Cup. They were the favourites to win the tournament, but they lost in the semi-finals.

The Ashes playing players will not be a part of the tour. Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood, etc have all been rested. Ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia this year, this is their best chance to test their players. Tom Banton and Saqib Mahmood have the eyeballs on them. Mahmood was brilliant in PSL and BBL, whereas Banton also had an impressive season. Apart from them, Phil Salt and George Garton will also get their opportunities.

West Indies vs England: Eoin Morgan eyeing players development

Eoin Morgan insists that this is the best opportunity for the players to showcase their talent. The English side is famous for not making changes, but this tour has brought some opportunities for the deserving players.

“A lot of talented guys will get opportunities throughout this series which is very exciting, not only for the team, but for them as well,” Morgan said.

“They don’t get a lot of opportunities to go through a process like this so, for our long-term planning, as we strive to have deeper, stronger squads, it’s very important.”

“The group that we would normally take to a World Cup has been together for quite some time, so the planning behind that is important to us.”

Eoin Morgan today received his CBE medal, two years after being awarded the honour.

West Indies great Clive Lloyd received his knighthood at the ceremony held at Windsor Castle. pic.twitter.com/vOhf1ZqvGx

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 12, 2022

Eoin Morgan has also confirmed that this series is about giving opportunities to the players and not winning the series. He has said that he is confident over the players to absorb the pressure of international cricket.

“The whole tour is one where the development of our game is more important than a series win,” Morgan said.

“We’ve gone through this process before, and identifying the level of intensity, and our performance is far more important than the result.”

The first T20I between West Indies and Australia will be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on 23 January 2022.