Morgan’s IPL gamble pays off with recall

EOIN MORGAN concedes he may have been gambling with his England place by choosing the Indian Premier League over the start of the county season.

The Dublin-born batsman chose to take up a lucrative Twenty20 contract with Kolkata Knight Riders instead of honing his first-class game with Middlesex and, with his batting rival Ravi Bopara opting to turn down a similar deal to play for Essex, many felt Morgan would be the odd man out when the selectors named their squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Instead, Morgan used his only chance to impress — an England Lions match against the tourists — to hit an eye-catching 193 and edge out Bopara, who made just 17 in the same innings.