SCATHING CRITICISM

Vaughan, Hussain criticise Morgan's decision to pull out of Bangladesh tour

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

"It will be very difficult for Morgan to come back from this." - Michael Vaughan © Cricbuzz

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, has said that Eoin Morgan's decision to pull out from the tour of Bangladesh was a 'huge mistake'. He further added that as the captain of the national set-up in abridged versions of the game, he should have shown leadership qualities during difficult times.

In his column in the UK Telegraph, Vaughan heavily criticised the incumbent England captain and wrote: "One main trait of a strong leader is they never ask a teammate to do something they would not do themselves.

"This is why Morgan has made a huge mistake. The players will support him in the press but there will be a little thought at the back of their minds that he went missing at a difficult time for the side.

"As a captain you are always saying to the players, 'It is going to get tough in the middle and you can't have it all your own way'. You tell them to be strong so they can go the extra yard. I do not see how he can look them in the eye and ask them to do that in the future." Vaughan said.

Vaughan observed that Reg Dickason, the security advisor, and Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, would feel let down by Morgan's decision and it won't be easy for the 30-year-old to make a comeback into the team. "My problem is that Eoin is basically saying, 'I do not trust the expert'," he wrote. "Reg will feel let down. So will the likes of Andrew Strauss and Colin Graves, who have rubber-stamped the tour to proceed based on Reg's advice.

"Eoin has not trusted them to do their jobs, either. How would he feel if they said they do not trust him to make good decisions on the field? It will be very difficult for him to come back from this. They will be angry that he has been stubborn," Vaughan noted.

Nasser Hussain, who led England for close to four years from 1999 to 2003, was scathing in his criticism of Morgan too, stating that the left-handed batsman has 'undermined his authority' as the captain. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Sunday (September 11) that both Morgan and opener, Alex Hales, have withdrawn from the tour of Bangladesh due to security concerns. Jos Buttler, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has been appointed as the captain in Morgan's place.

"The next time Morgan asks his team to go that extra yard, one of them might look at him and think: 'Hang on, when we put our necks on the line by going to Bangladesh and took ourselves out of our comfort zone, you weren't with us. Where were you when we were surrounded by tanks and snipers and couldn't leave our hotel rooms?'," Hussain wrote.

Hussain added that as the board deemed it as safe to tour Bangladesh, Morgan should have agreed to partake in the series. "It has to undermine his authority. The players will be cocooned in their rooms and will develop a siege mentality. That is a great shame but the bottom line is that if the team are going, if the ECB deem it safe, then the captain should be there."

England are slated to travel to Bangladesh in October to play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Tests. The scheduled tour came under threat after the Dhaka attack that took place at Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan Thana on July 1.

© Cricbuzz

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