T20 World Cup 2021: “England and Australia are joint second-favourites for the tournament” – Eoin Morgan

T20 World Cup 2021: “England and Australia are joint second-favourites for the tournament” – Eoin Morgan

England skipper Eoin Morgan and Australia captain Aaron Finch

Arch-rivals England and Australia are set to face each other in the ongoing 2021 T20 World Cup on Saturday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Meanwhile, English skipper Eoin Morgan has reckoned that the two heavyweight sides are the joint second-favourites for the tournament. 

Placed in Group 1, both England and Australia have begun their campaign on a high note after winning both their first two games. Morgan and co. beat the West Indies and Bangladesh while the Aaron Finch-led side defeated South Africa and Sri Lanka.

The Englishman has stated that Australia will come up as one of the most difficult challenges for his side in the all-important competition.

“It’s probably going to be one of our most difficult games. Australia are a very strong side – they’ve won two out of two, much like us – and have started well. Coming into the tournament, they’ll probably be considered joint second-favourites, along with us. They’re a side that we know pretty well – we’ve played against them a lot over a number of years,” Eoin Morgan said in a press conference ahead of the match against Australia.

“They’re progressing really well” – Morgan provides injury update on Mark Wood and Tom Curran

Mark Wood performed well for England in T20 WC warm-up matches
Mark Wood performed well for England in T20 WC warm-up matches

The English players produced a clinical all-round performance in their previous match on Wednesday. However, their speedster Mark Wood and reserve all-rounder Tom Curran are currently recovering from their respective injuries. The 2019 WC winners are expected to take place on the field with the same playing XI against the mighty Aussies.

“They’re progressing really well. Where we were before the first game, they’ve come on a long way. We’re going to make a call on that tomorrow to see how training is and then tomorrow we’ll make a call on them,” he added, when asked about the update on the pace duo.

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