Morgan confident in underdogs

Rising star Eoin Morgan believes Ireland can strike another blow for the underdog in the Super Eight stage by claiming the scalp of another major nation.

The 20-year-old left-hander is regarded as the brightest talent in Irish cricket now Ed Joyce has defected to England and could follow in his footsteps having made his debut for Middlesex last season.

Morgan makes no secret of his desire to play at the highest level and possibly follow Joyce into the England side, but for now he is committed to taking Ireland as far as possible during the tournament.

They have already upset the odds by tying against Zimbabwe when they appeared certain to lose and then memorably beat Pakistan to earn their place in the last eight of the World Cup.

Now they have their sights set on Friday’s opening encounter of the next phase when they face an England side including former team-mate Joyce and are desperate to cause another shock.

“Coming into the competition we recognised the talent we had in the side and we knew we had the ability to cause a major upset,” said Morgan.

“We did that against Pakistan and the confidence that gave us to bring into the Super Eights is huge. We’re all still level-headed, but the confidence is great at the moment.

“If we can go out and perform in the way we can do, we can cause an upset – I certainly believe we have good enough players to go out and beat England on Friday.”

Morgan’s runs in the tournament have not so far befitted his status as the rising star of Irish cricket and he is yet to pass 21 in his three innings so far.

However, he is desperate to do well on Friday and stressed: “Since we’ve qualified for the Super Eights we’ve been looking forward to that game, not only to put on a team performance but for me personally I’m looking to get some runs because I’ve struggled a bit since I came here.

“I feel I am in a bit of form, it’s just a matter of spending some time at the crease. Maybe it’s the jitters or a bit of nervousness at the crease, but I feel I’ve settled in now and learned from the past three games and I feel okay now.”

Captain Trent Johnston, who missed Ireland’s final group match defeat against West Indies with a left shoulder injury, is expected to be fit to face England at the Providence Stadium.