Chris Woakes says England’s players will back whatever decision Eoin Morgan makes over his future as the one-day captain after he led the team to World Cup glory on Sunday.
Morgan took over the leadership of England’s limited-overs sides from Alastair Cook four and a half years ago and the expectation is he will continue in his role as T20 captain until the end of that format’s World Cup in Australia next year. However, with the next 50-over World Cup in India four years away, the 32-year-old may decide to hand over the reins of that team to Jos Buttler, his deputy in both short formats, before the end of the year.
England do not play 50-over cricket again until January, when they face a five-match series in South Africa. There is a T20 series in New Zealand, whom England beat in the enthralling World Cup final at Lord’s, starting in November. So Morgan has plenty of time to ruminate on his future.
Yet Woakes insists the players are right behind their captain whatever he decides to do. “That’s his choice,” he said. “He’s earned the right to do whatever he wants to be brutally honest. He’s only young in my eyes, but it’ll be his call.
“I’m sure he’ll take a bit of time to think about it and see whether he wants to or not. I’m sure there’s plenty of life in him yet, it’s just whether he wants to. He’s earned the right to make the decision on his own, it’s his call.”
Morgan presided over England’s miserable first-round exit from the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but has since been the driving force behind the team’s white-ball transformation. “We were at rock bottom after the last World Cup, and obviously we had to do something about it,” said Woakes. “Eoin’s led that from ball one and it’s brilliant that he’s lifted the trophy, it’s almost like it was meant to be.”
With an Ashes series starting on 1 August, there is little time for England to celebrate. Along with a number of other World Cup winners, Woakes is expected to be rested for next week’s four-day Test against Ireland at Lord’s. But he insists there are no issues with the chronic problem in his right knee that requires careful management by England’s medical team. “It’s as good as it’s been for a long time,” he said. “I’m good to go for the Ashes.”
Jason Roy’s heroics at the top of the order during the World Cup will earn him a first Test call-up when the squad for the Ireland match is announced on Wednesday. Roy scored 443 runs in seven innings during the tournament and now is regarded as the time to give the 28-year-old a chance in Test cricket alongside Rory Burns, his Surrey teammate, at the top of the order. Joe Denly will also keep his place at No 3 after hitting good form for Kent in the County Championship in recent weeks.
Ben Stokes, man of the match in the World Cup final, will also be rested for the Ireland Test, with Buttler likely to join him. Both will be named on Wednesday, though, in the squad for a pre-Ashes training camp this weekend at St George’s Park, the England football team’s training centre in Burton.
Jofra Archer will be missing from both the Ireland Test and the camp after returning to the Caribbean for a week. The Barbados-born fast bowler, 24, recently lost a cousin, who was murdered in Bridgetown. He also needs rest after playing in every World Cup game for England despite sustaining a side injury midway through the tournament.
Mark Wood, the Durham fast bowler, will also miss the Ireland match with a side strain, while James Anderson, who is recovering from a torn calf, will not be risked. It means Sam Curran and Stuart Broad are likely to be the most experienced bowlers in a squad that could include Essex’s Jamie Porter and the Somerset pair of Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory.