Morgan famously led England to victory in the 2019 ODI World Cup and will now be seen doing commentary during the upcoming Ashes, which begins on June 16. The former cricketer played 16 Tests for England and scored 700 runs, making his debut in the red-ball format for England in 2010. He was axed after a couple of years.
He was picked by the selectors for the 2010-11 Ashes series as a spare batter, but did not get a chance to play any of the matches. Speaking to The Mirror, Morgan opened up on the missed opportunity that he regrets. He said, "I would have given my left arm to play in the Ashes. I went on the 2010/11 tour as the spare batter, but we had such a strong batting line up.
"Every time I had an opportunity against the Aussies particularly in 50-over cricket. I would go 'well, this is the closest I'm getting to playing an Ashes against these guys. If that is where I want to be, then I need to do well here to start with," he added.
Meanwhile, the 36-year-old hailed current skipper Ben Stokes, and credited him for making the format more appealing. Under the Stokes-Brendon McCullum (coach) regime, England have played aggressive cricket in Tests, often referred to as ‘Bazball’.
Praising Stokes, he said, "Test cricket for me is still unbelievable. But it is a really challenging time for it. It has lost Virat Kohli as a Test captain and he always spoke vividly about how much he loved it and was passionate about it. Stokes is the same, and he has taken on a huge responsibility to the game to make it as attractive as possible," he added.
Ashes 2023 schedule
June 16-Jun 20, 1st Test: Edgbaston, Birmingham
June 28-July 02, 2nd Test: Lord's, London
July 06-July 10, 3rd Test: 3rd Test, Headingley, Leeds
July 19-July 23, 4th Test: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
July 27-July 31, 5th Test: Kennington Oval, London
--By A Cricket Correspondent
