Some sportsmen swear there is no substitute for match practice but England Twenty20 captain Eoin Morgan believes he is “twice the man” he was before an unscheduled month off.
Morgan will lead the Three Lions out in Monday’s one-off NatWest T20 against Australia at Cardiff having not played competitively since August 1.
After a run of poor form for Middlesex - the Dubliner averaged 26 in the shortest format, 10.16 in first-class cricket and just 6.66 in the Royal London Cup - he was granted a break by the county.
Having led England’s ill-fated World Cup campaign Down Under before travelling to the Indian Premier League, it was decided time away from the game would be more beneficial than continuing his losing battle against form and fatigue.
It is an unsual way for an England skipper to lead in to a match against the old enemy but Morgan believes it was just what he needed.
He found a sympathetic ear in Middlesex director of cricket Gus Fraser, though his role as an England selector might also have played a part.
“I was the one who brought it up. I sat down with Gus and discussed the pros and cons of it,” said Morgan.
“To start with Gus was very understanding and brilliant in the way he managed it, because he said the priority was English cricket.
“That is a tough decision to deal with as a director of a county team. I can’t imagine there are many county directors that would have taken English cricket as a priority over possibly Championship or one-day games.
“But we talked about the benefits of it and, sitting here now, I’m probably twice the man I was a month ago because of the schedule, the hectic nature of it, the amount of cricket we play and the very little time off.”
Morgan was initially slated to miss three one-day games and one LV= County Championship fixture but he ultimately sat out another of each.
“It started with two-weeks off and then we decided, would playing one game before the one-day series make much of a difference?” he explained.
“I said no, I haven’t played for two weeks and another two weeks off would be ideal, to be honest.
“I feel really fresh now. My attitude, my mind, my body is a lot better than it was a month ago. I’m raring to go.”
Coming after the drama of England’s 3-2 Ashes victory and before a five-match ODI series, a standalone T20 match could appear to the orphan of the international summer.
But in reality neither side can afford to treat as anything other than crucial learning time with the World Twenty20 coming in March.
England have just seven matches in the format before that, and five before they are due to name their squad for the tournament.
Having exited the previous edition in the group stages and bowed out with an embarrassing defeat to Holland, Morgan is charged with delivering much better this time.
Part of the rationale for appointing Trevor Bayliss as head coach was his limited-overs expertise and Morgan confirmed that white-ball cricket was now being moved to the front of the agenda - despite tricky Test assignments against Pakistan and South Africa around the corner this winter.
“Our priority now turns to the T20 World Cup and driving our one-day cricket forward,” he said.
“We have the group of players we’ve seen throughout the last one-day series against New Zealand and I’m hoping we can add five or six more names to that pool that we can stick with over the next two or three years to build something.”
England, of course, won their first major global tournament at the 2010 World T20, but with the continued rise of the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash - and the dearth of Englishmen partaking in those events - there has been little or no legacy in the format.
“I think we simply haven’t been good enough,” Morgan added.
“Our skill level hasn’t been good enough to string enough wins together. We’ve had a couple of World Cups since then and we haven’t peaked at the right time.
“We have, I think, the players to do that, but we need them in good form and to form the right plan to suit the players that we have.
“We want to get a formula together before the next World Cup and that is obviously crucial.”
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
The specs
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Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
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pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
