‘Eoin Morgan’s shoes are unbelievably big to fill but I knew I had to step up’

Well that escalated quickly! To say that I wasn’t expecting to be leading England out in a one day match in Cardiff this week would be a huge understatement. But here we are, and duty calls.

I only packed clothes for three days away from home, so there will need to be a bit of extra washing done, although I hadn’t actually received any of my new England one day kit yet so that should all be waiting for me, I hope.

There will be some new team-mates to get to know better, although I have played with or against pretty much everyone in the squad and what stands out to me is the sheer quality of the players who have been picked.

We might be 20 first choice players down through isolation and injuries, but we will still be putting out a proper international class side with plenty of experience at the highest level.

I’m not sure how many countries could lose this many players and still have such quality to choose from at such short notice.

We are lucky to have the strength in depth that we have in white ball cricket, and this is just a fantastic opportunity for these players to show what they can do.

You have to be able to adapt at this level and that is what has been going on over the last 24 hours off the field. It has been amazing how quickly things have been put in place since I got the call late on Monday night.

With my finger still on the mend, the initial plan for me wasn’t to play any international white ball cricket at all and just focus on getting absolutely ready for the India Test series, but things change.

With both Morgs and Jos unavailable, not to mention the likes of Moeen and Rooty and the rest of our first choice squad, I knew I had to step up, and just like it was last year with the Test team, it will be a huge honour to lead this side.

The last time I captained a white ball side was in an IPL warm up game. So this will be new for me too, but my experience as a player should get me through, even if Morgs’ shoes are unbelievably big to fill!

For some it will be an introduction into a new environment and a new ethos that they might not have experienced before. Between Chris Silverwood and myself, we are still going to run everything the same way wew have over the last five years or so, that is not going to change just because we’ve got different personnel.

But we want them to feel as comfortable as possible, yes it is England and it means a lot, but this is their chance to shine.

The messages will still be the same and I’ll be telling them to enjoy the experience. They have been picked because they have stood out for their counties and the most important thing is to enjoy it. What a great chance they have been given.

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