Cricket:Dublin-born batsman Eoin Morgan will captain England against Ireland in Thursday's RSA Challenge one-day international in Clontarf after selectors announced an experimental team without rested skipper Alastair Cook.
The former Ireland international heads up a 13-man squad without the likes of Cook and other first-choice names for the one-off match in his native city, which coach Andy Flower also misses having been granted a well-earned rest by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Morgan, who was out for one this morning during England’s fourth Test against India at the Oval, will be charged with leading an inexperienced group of players featuring the likes of Yorkshire’s Jonathan Bairstow, Scott Borthwick of Durham, Surrey’s Jade Dernbach and Leicestershire’s James Taylor.
Borthwick’s Durham colleague Ben Stokes also gets the call while the likes of Craig Kieswetter, Samit Patel and Chris Woakes will be looking to press their claims ahead of the five-match one-day series against India.
Jonathan Trott and Steven Finn are among the more prominent names in the line-up but there was no recall for Stuart Broad, who was left out against Sri Lanka in July but who can be expected to be selected against India following his return to form in Test action.
Batsmen Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell, who have teamed up so profitably this week, will be rested, as will bowlers Graeme Swann and James Anderson.
England travel across the Irish Sea to face the team who memorably beat them in their last meeting during this year’s World Cup in Bangalore.
Morgan missed that game through injury but will know well that the task at Castle Avenue against a full-strength Ireland side will be a tough one.
He was named as Stuart Broad’s vice-captain of the England Twenty20 side earlier this year and England national selector Geoff Miller believes Thursday’s sold-out clash is the perfect chance to give him exposure as captain.
“We’re presented with the opportunity to provide Eoin Morgan with further leadership experience and I know he is very much looking forward to assuming the captaincy and developing his leadership credentials while in charge of a young England squad.
“The squad we’re looking to take to Ireland involves a number of exciting young England players as we rest several players currently involved in the npower Test series against India.
“We know from previous encounters that Ireland are a tough ODI outfit and we’ll be fielding a very strong England side that will need to play well.”
England squad:Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset, wkts), Graham Onions (Durham), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Leicestershire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).