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LONDON: Injured batsman Eoin Morgan has said he will be back to fitness sooner than expected, boosting his chances of playing some part in England’s World Cup campaign.
The England and Wales Cricket Board last week replaced Morgan with Ravi Bopara in their 15-man squad when the finger injury suffered by the Irishman during the one-day series in Australia was confirmed as a break.
But an upbeat Morgan tweeted that he was confident of making a quicker than expected return to cricket as an operation on the finger had been ruled out.
“Some good news this morning,” he said in a tweet. “No need for an op. Pretty much healed. Will be back sooner than expected.”
The tournament rules forbid a team from changing their squad unless a player is unavailable through injury.
Morgan, 24, has been England’s most successful one-day batsman since making his debut in 2009 and his absence could hit the three-time World Cup finalists hard.
England’s top-order batsman Ian Bell conceded as much while speaking in Dhaka, where England take on Bangladesh in their first warm-up on Wednesday.
“I’m sure he’ll be as eager as anyone to be playing cricket,” Bell told reporters. “He’s a massive part of our one-day side, and it’s disappointing not to have him here.
“I’m lucky enough that I don’t have to make those decisions (whether England could have brought Morgan and hoped for the best). When he’s on the field, he’s been a match-winner for us over the last 12 to 18 months.
“It’s sad for him not to be here, but I’m sure he’s got a big future with England. He’ll be back.”
England are slated to play their second and final warm-up against Pakistan in Dhaka on Friday before travelling to India for their first World Cup fixture against the Netherlands in Nagpur on February 22.
England are placed in Group B alongside India, South Africa, the West Indies, the Netherlands, Bangladesh and Ireland, with the top four making it to the quarter-finals.
