Morgan says England can still match best

England captain Eoin Morgan believes England will be a “dangerous side” in the upcoming World Cup if they perform at their best.
England's Eoin MorganEngland's Eoin Morgan
England's Eoin Morgan

England edged out India to make the final of the one-day international Tri-Series but three defeats against Australia, including a humbling reverse in the final, means that they remain one of the outsiders.

They have been handed a relatively easy group and although they face Australia on February 14, they will also face smaller nations such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Scotland.

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Tougher tasks will await them in the knockout stages and the likes of Morgan, who goes into the tournament in poor form, believes if they hit their straps they can be a match for anybody. “We strive to get the best out of ourselves,” he said. “If we do that we’ll be a very dangerous side regardless of who we’re playing.”

Steve Finn and Ian Bell impressed Down Under with the latter hitting a century and an unbeaten 88, while pace bowler Finn rediscovered his form on the international stage, taking five wickets against India in Brisbane.

“It’s not all doom and gloom, to get to this final we’ve played some really good cricket,” said Morgan.

“Individual performances stood out like sore thumbs – Steven Finn and Ian Bell, in particular, have been brilliant.”

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However, there was no getting away from the fact that in the final, when it mattered, England underperformed badly as they suffered a 112-run defeat in Perth.

Morgan is more interested to see how his side respond. “One of the tests of this defeat is how we come back from it. That’s going to be huge. I’ve no doubt the guys will come back really well. We can look at it from an outside perspective and not get too beat up about it, as being one of those days we weren’t switched on as a batting unit. We’ll reassess and come back stronger, hopefully.”

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