Eoin Morgan's decision to sit-out supported by fellow English teammate, Jos Buttler

England skipper, Eoin Morgan recently has been at the receiving end of flak from various fans and cricketing experts. This came as a consequence of his decision to sit out a series-deciding match against South Africa. However, fellow player, Jos Buttler, who served as the captain in the absence of Morgan, has spoken up in his favour.

Buttler extended his support to Morgan’s decision by saying, “It shows how much cricket gets played. It’s very important to keep guys mentally fresh.” This is the first match Morgan has missed out on at the home turf. In the past, Buttler has acted as the stand-in captain in absence of Morgan twice, in Dubai and in Bangladesh. The latter had missed the tour due to security concerns.

Morgan’s decision to sit out at a crucial juncture criticised

South Africa had beaten England by 3 runs in a nail-biting thriller of a match, to tie the 3-match T20 series at 1-1. The last match, as a result, was bound to be crucial for both sides. Captain Eoin Morgan surprised quite a few by opting to sit out of the match. As a result, when Buttler walked out as captain for the toss ahead of the match, Twitter was bound to witness some reactions.

Former England player, Michael Vaughan tweeted: “1-1 … Series decider … and the England Skipper is resting !!1 #WTF ….. Worlds gone mad.”

In the same tone as Vaughan, James Taylor, in his commentary on BBC Radio, “He’s (Morgan) the leader and he should be playing.”

Buttler’s view on the matter

“If you turned up here, saw a brilliant game of cricket and England win the series, then as an England fan I think you can go home very happy,” said Buttler. This came as a rebuttal to queries of the English crowd at Cardiff being dissatisfied at Morgan’s no-show in the final T20. England won the match by 19 runs and subsequently, sealed the T20I series.

Morgan’s stand-point

However, Morgan justified his move earlier by viewing the series as an opportunity for the younger crop of the players. He said, “We recognise the series as a big opportunity to have a look at a younger group of players. If it was a case where I could go on and captain, I would. But this is an important part of our development for this series.”

Interestingly, 29-year-old Dawid Malan, who got his chance because of Morgan’s absence, made 78 on his T20I debut. He was adjudged Man of the Match, for leading his team to victory. Pacer Tom Curran, playing just his second match at this level, took 2 wickets for 22 runs to cripple South Africa. Mason Crane, the legspinner, picked up the prized wicket of AB de Villiers for his first wicket in international cricket, making it a good overall outing for the newcomers.