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Eoin Morgan to captain Sydney Thunders at start of BBL 2016-17

by Manuj Sharma Sunday 18 December 2016

Eoin Morgan has been a revelation as captain for England in the limited overs format

©REUTERS MEDIA EXPRESS

England limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan has been appointed as the captain of Sydney Thunders for the start of the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) tournament.

The decision comes after regular skipper Shane Watson is expected to miss the initial part of the tournament due to an injury.

The 30-year-old led the Thunders in the warm-up victory over Bangladesh XI at Spotless Stadium on Friday and will be looking to get the defending champions off to a good start before Watson's arrival.

Morgan, along with Alex Hales, recently pulled out of England's tour of Bangladesh due to security concerns despite it was given a go ahead by England and Wales Cricket Board's security delegation team.

Jos Buttler led England in the absence of Morgan and secured a 2-1 series victory against the Asian side but the Middlesex batsman has been handed over the reins of the limited overs team for the upcoming series against India which begins on 15th January.

Morgan said he had no regrets on pulling out of the Bangladesh tour.

"I wasn’t comfortable travelling because of security concerns and I weighed up the question 'would I be able to perform as a captain and as a player given the security concerns in Bangladesh?'

"No, I’ve no regrets I’m still comfortable with it. It is something I considered before confirming my decision to the ECB.

"I tried to imagine all the different circumstances and didn’t feel comfortable enough in my mind to go and be able to perform."

However, Morgan is confident that his decision to pull out will have no constraints in his relationship with his England team-mates.

"We’re a tightly knit group who back each other’s decisions no matter what the case and in particular in this case where every decision for the individual was his own and whatever was right for him.

"I have had a great deal of support, everyone who I trust in a tight knit circle has supported me, everyone within the game that I trust has supported me, players ex- and current who I lean on for big decisions.

"It's been really good, it was a difficult decision to make and I don't think a lot of people would have made it but I am certainly happy with the decision."

Sydney Thunders open their 2016-17 campaign of BBL with a clash against Sydney Sixers at Sydney Showground Stadium on 20th December.