Eoin Morgan could miss another Championship season © Getty Images
The unexpected delight of seeing England’s limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, in a Championship match has proved to be a false dawn – Morgan has broken his thumb in the nets before having the chance to take the field and is now unlikely to play a four-day game this season.
That Morgan declared his availability for Middlesex for the first two months of the Specsavers Championship was something of a surprise, especially considering that his England team-mates, Alex Hales and Adil Rashid, had both committed to white-ball only deals.
But he had failed to find a buyer in the Indian Premier League auction and concluded he needed some regular cricket ahead of England’s opening ODI of the season against Scotland in Edinburgh, quickly followed by a five-match series against Australia.
Morgan has not played a Championship match since he made a pair against Somerset at Merchant Taylor’s School three years ago – an outcome that seemed to encapsulate his gradual isolation from the longer form of the game.
With England duties likely to be followed by some appearances in the Vitality Blast and, finally, a spell in the Caribbean Premier League, which runs from August 8 to September 16, it is now quite possible that his Championship absence will extend a further year.
Morgan suffered the injury during a net session at the same Merchant Taylor’s ground last week. A Middlesex spokesman told the Daily Mail: “‘Eoin was hit on the left thumb and x-rays revealed that he suffered a small fracture. He will sadly be out of action for at least four weeks.”
Middlesex’s confidence in their untold batting riches as they attempt to regain their Division One status at the first attempt has now dissipated. Their England Lions opener Nick Gubbins has hamstring trouble and England have withdrawn Dawid Malan from the first two rounds of the Championship after his heavy schedule in Australia and New Zealand. The hurried signing of Australian allrounder Hilton Cartwright will only partially answer their needs.
As for Morgan, it appears that the most he can hope for is to warm up for England duties with a couple of Middlesex matches in the Royal London Cup with the visit of Essex to Radlett CC on May 17 his first target.
David Hopps is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo @davidkhopps
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo