Sydney: England captain Eoin Morgan said he had no regrets after his side failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup and insisted he wanted to remain in charge.

Eoin Morgan

Yesterday’s nine-wicket win over Afghanistan in a rain-marred match at the Sydney Cricket Ground came too late to get England into the knockout phase, with Monday’s 15-run defeat by Bangladesh in Adelaide ending their last-eight hopes.

“There are no regrets,” Morgan said. “Absolutely not. We’ve given it everything and certainly I have,” added the former Ireland batsman, whose last 11 ODI innings have yielded five ducks.

Consolation win
Morgan wasn’t required to bat yesterday with England, after he won the toss in overcast conditions ideal for seam bowling, restricting Afghanistan to 111 for seven. They were then set a revised target of 101 to win in 25 overs and finished on 101 for one in 18.1 for the loss of opener Alex Hales, with Ian Bell unbeaten on 52 at the finish. Morgan, only appointed to the one-day captaincy on a full-time basis shortly before the tournament after England axed Test skipper Alastair Cook from their World Cup squad, said he wanted to continue as the team’s 50-over leader.

“The hunger’s still there to captain,” said Morgan. “My experience as captain has made me a better player and better person. I’ve learnt a lot about the team and my own performance,” he added.

“There will be a review from here so, with regards the captaincy, the decision is out of my hands.” As for the quality of his squad, Morgan said: “The personnel we have are the right personnel. I’ve no regrets.”