Eoin Morgan Urges Recall Of Joe Root And Ben Stokes For England’s 2025 Champions Trophy Squad
Sudhanshu Pandey
Eoin Morgan Urges Recall Of Joe Root And Ben Stokes For England’s 2025 Champions Trophy Squad
England’s cricket team is undergoing a transition phase, and former skipper Eoin Morgan believes that a crucial part of this transformation must involve recalling senior players like Joe Root and Ben Stokes. As England prepares for the upcoming Champions Trophy in Pakistan next year.
Eoin Morgan’s perspective
Despite the series defeat, Morgan has praised the younger players for showing resilience and adaptability. He highlighted that England has found a new template for playing white-ball cricket, and that these fresh faces have the potential to make an impact. However, Morgan believes that to win a major tournament like the Champions Trophy, England needs to bring back its best players, including Root and Stokes.
“At the moment, I’m happy to back the younger players. In the recent series against Australia, they found a template. Australia, you have to commend how good they are at the moment in all formats of the game. But when you put them up against a side that, at stages, didn’t have [Jofra] Archer, no Wood, Stokes and Root as well, no Buttler, that’s half your England team,” Morgan said at the launch of the International Masters League in Mumbai on Tuesday.
“The run chase at Durham, when Harry Brook scored that magnificent hundred and then just went on to find his feet as captain… the template that they found in that game, I thought, is one that really suits the players that they’ve selected. I would encourage them to continue with that template and look ahead to the Champions Trophy.”
In international cricket, experience often proves to be the deciding factor in high-stakes tournaments. Players like Root and Stokes have been in pressure situations before and know how to handle the mental and physical demands of big games. Morgan pointed out that even teams with the best young talent need a solid core of experienced players to guide them through tough moments.
Morgan further added, “Ben Stokes has already said that he hasn’t had the call yet from Baz as to whether he will play or not. If that call comes, obviously he would love to play. In my eyes, they’ve got to come into a major world tournament and look to win it, and that means trying to find the best team – and for me, Stokes and Root are in that best team. The younger players playing in the upcoming series against the West Indies, and then coming here [India] in February, the opportunity is there in front of your face. And that opportunity can be quickly taken away when those big names come back.”
Ben Stokes Image: Cricfit
England’s recent series
In the absence of experienced players like Root, Stokes, and regular captain Jos Buttler, England’s younger players were given a chance to shine during the recent 3-2 series loss against Australia.
The Champions Trophy is one of the most prestigious tournaments in cricket, second only to the World Cup. England will be eager to make amends after their poor showing in the 2023 ODI World Cup, and the Champions Trophy offers a perfect opportunity to do so. With only six more ODIs before the tournament, England’s preparations need to be precise, and their squad selections crucial.
