England ODI skipper Eoin Morgan feels that it is high time his side pull up their socks and catch up in the shorter formats of the game.
England had an awful ICC World Cup 2015 where they could not beat a single Test playing nation and were knocked out in the group stages.
Now England face the World Cup 2015 runners-up New Zealand, who handed them an eight-wicket thrashing in the CWC, in the first ODI of the five-match series at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
"We want to be unclouded in the way that we play and put opposition sides under pressure as much as we can. For a long time now, we've been behind the eight-ball in one-day cricket and we've fallen behind by a long way, and it's time for a catch-up," Morgan told the reporters ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the squad for the ODI series last week. Surprisingly, they have made a number of changes to the squad and they have left out big names like Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ian Bell. England will be up against the dynamic visitors while playing with a new-look squad. Skipper Morgan feels that he has been provided with just the kind of ammunition he needed to play some good cricket against the Kiwis and clinch the series.
"It still might take a little bit of time but certainly I can get my views across, things can be a lot clearer and I'll certainly be involved in selection so I've got the squad that I've wanted. We struggled throughout the World Cup simply because we didn't perform well enough. The guys we have brought in do something different and we want that to continue," Morgan added.
England now have several big hitters in their squad like Alex Hales, Ben Stokes and Jason Roy. Morgan himself can hit the ball a long way. The all-rounder from Northamptonshire David Willey has had a good county season and thus he has been included in the squad. Mark Wood, who made his Test debut against the Black Caps recently, also features in the England ODI squad.
"I'm excited to see them play, I'm excited to see them take the opportunity that presents itself over the course of the series. The guys we have brought in do something different and we want that to continue. If they play as well as they have done in county cricket things will be very exciting," Morgan concluded.
