Morgan says surgery not needed

ESPNcricinfo staff

	Eoin Morgan has said his broken finger is healing well © Getty Images Enlarge

Eoin Morgan's broken finger has not proved as bad as feared and he won't require surgery, which means a swifter return to action, but it hasn't come in time to save his World Cup place.

Morgan picked up the fracture during the one-day series against Australia and played on for two games after suffering the blow in Adelaide. He was eventually diagnosed on the eve of the final match in Perth and flew home to see a specialist. A day later Morgan was ruled out of the World Cup and told that surgery was the only option with Ravi Bopara named as a replacement.

However, after Morgan's latest check-up, the finger is, apparently, healing well on its own. "Some good news this morning. No need for an op on my finger ... pretty much healed ... will be back sooner than expected," Morgan wrote on Twitter.

The ECB, though, were a little more guarded on the situation. "He will be reassessed again in the next two days, and that decision will be taken then," a spokesman said. "But it is likely he will not need surgery."

Even if surgery isn't needed Morgan can't return to the World Cup squad now he has been replaced unless another player is injured so his next competitive action is likely to be the IPL where he will play for Kolkata Knight Riders. But if the selectors wanted to give him some cricket before then, they could add him to the England Lions squad which is currently in the Caribbean.

"I'm sure he'll be as eager as anyone to be playing cricket," his middle-order colleague Ian Bell told reporters in Dhaka. "He's a massive part of our one-day side, and it's disappointing not to have him here.

"I'm lucky enough that I don't have to make those decisions," Bell added, when asked about the decision to replace him in the squad. "When he's on the field, he's been a match-winner for us over the last 12 to 18 months. It's sad for him not to be here, but I'm sure he's got a big future with England. He'll be back."

Morgan is currently the favourite to replace Paul Collingwood in England's middle order for the next Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts at the end of May, but could face competition from Bopara and James Hildreth who is enjoying a successful Lions tour.