Former England captain Eoin Morgan has said that he would like to see both Joe Root and Ben Stokes as a part of the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan. Both Root and Stokes last played during the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, where England failed to defend their crown and exited in the league phase itself.
Both men won’t be part of the squad for the West Indies tour, but England have hinted that they will still remain in the mix when it comes to the Champions Trophy. Stokes was unavailable for the recent series against Australia as he recovered from an injury and Root was rested. Morgan, while talking on the sidelines of the launch of the International Masters League in Mumbai, said that Stokes would love to play the Champions Trophy if he does get the call from coach Brendon McCullum.
The former captain feels that England should go in with their best team for a tournament and it would include Root and Stokes in it.
“Ben Stokes has already said that he hasn’t had the call yet from Baz as to whether he will play or not,” Morgan said. “If that call comes, obviously he would love to play. In my eyes, they’ve got to come into a major world tournament and look to win it, and that means trying to find the best team – and for me, Stokes and Root are in that best team.”
England have found a template
England fielded a young team against Australia recently, with the likes of Jos Buttler and Mark Wood absent from the side. Morgan feels that they have found a template during the series against Australia. The former cricketer said he would like to see England stick with the new found template and look ahead to the Champions Trophy.
“At the moment, I’m happy to back the younger players,” Morgan said at the launch of the International Masters League in Mumbai on Tuesday. “In the recent series against Australia, they found a template. Australia, you have to commend how good they are at the moment in all formats of the game. But when you put them up against a side that, at stages, didn’t have [Jofra] Archer, no Wood, Stokes and Root as well, no Buttler, that’s half your England team.”
“The run chase at Durham, when Harry Brook scored that magnificent hundred and then just went on to find his feet as captainâæ the template that they found in that game, I thought, is one that really suits the players that they’ve selected. I would encourage them to continue with that template and look ahead to the Champions Trophy.”
Stokes and Root are currently part of the England squad that is playing against Pakistan in the Test series.