I’ve not seen a captain show such a weakness, Kevin Pietersen criticises Eoin Morgan’s batting technique

Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen took an aim at his former teammate and current skipper Eoin Morgan after the hosts lost to Australia at Lord’s in the World Cup. Eoin Morgan failed to get going for the second match in a row as England suffered their third loss of the tournament. The hosts, who were the pre-tournament favourites, are now in a tight spot and could very well exit the World Cup at the group stage.

With 8 points from seven games, they need to win at least one of their remaining games to keep their semifinal hopes alive. The road ahead, however, is not at all easy as they will face India and New Zealand in their last two league games. Eoin Morgan, who has led England with utmost aplomb in the last four years, is perhaps struggling to deal with the pressure. Against Australia, he managed just 4 as England lost the game by 64 runs while chasing 285.

With England’s chances of progressing ahead now hanging by a fine thread, Kevin Pietersen could not resist taking a shot at Morgan. The legendary batsman took to Twitter to say that Morgan was scared of facing Mitchell Starc during the match.

Pointing out an incident from the game, Pietersen wrote, “The England captain stepping to the square leg when Starc bowled his first delivery to him made me think England could have a little problem over the next week or so. I hope not, but I’ve not seen a captain show such a weakness for a while…”

Fate in our hands, says Morgan

Eoin Morgan, meanwhile, has said England still have their fate in their own hands. He also defended his decision to bowl first after winning the toss and also praised his bowlers for restricting Australia to less than 300.

“The wicket was soft when we first started. Winning the toss and batting would have been a horrific decision. Right throughout the first 25 overs, they dominated and our bowlers pegged them back and did really well when it looked like they would score 340 or 350. Given the circumstances, it is not hugely disappointing. Our fate is in our own hands,” said Eoin Morgan.