England coach Matthew Mott responds to criticism from Eoin Morgan after former captain accused senior figures of ‘shirking responsibility’ during disastrous World Cup defence in India

England white-ball coach Matthew Mott has dismissed criticism from former World Cup winner Eoin Morgan, saying only those in the dressing room ‘understand what is going on’.

Morgan accused Mott and other senior figures in the one-day squad of ‘avoiding responsibility’ when assistant coach Carl Hopkinson was sent to address the media ahead of England’s match against the Netherlands towards the end of their disastrous defense of the 50-over title. in India in November.

And he described England as a ‘sinking ship’ in a tournament in which they won just three of their nine matches. Privately, Morgan was also critical of management’s reporting – a point Mott appears to have conceded by re-hiring David Young, the head of sports psychology at Manchester City, who played a role in England’s World Cup turnaround 2019 that they finally won.

Mott, who is preparing for his side’s T20 title defense in the Caribbean next month, said Morgan was entitled to his opinion but questioned the relevance of his perspective.

“He was critical, but family and friends were more upset about it than I was,” Mott said. ‘Obviously at first you take it a bit personally, but he’s there to have an opinion, and that opinion doesn’t really concern me. If he feels strongly about anything, it’s for him. I always respect Morgs and his opinion.

Morgan suggested England’s coaching staff were ‘dodging responsibility’ after sending Carl Hopkinson to address the media at the World Cup

‘All I want to say is that only the people in the dressing room can fully understand what is going on. When you leave the locker room, you might hear something nice, but you don’t really know how the team works.”

Morgan, whose reign as England captain ended shortly after Mott took charge in 2022, will work for the ICC commentary team in the West Indies during the World Cup, with their coverage used by Sky Sports.

Mott was speaking after England’s first of four T20s against Pakistan at Headingley collapsed, depriving his side of 25 percent of their match preparation ahead of their World Cup opener against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.

And he revealed Young was brought in to ensure ‘my messages are clear’ after England became ‘insular’ and tried to ‘solve issues themselves’ during the World Cup in India.

Young, who has a consultancy deal with the ECB to work with England’s white-ball teams, was credited with changing the mentality of Morgan’s side at the low point of their 2019 campaign.

With England needing to win their last four matches to lift the trophy, he urged the players to express their concerns and vulnerabilities. Almost like a man, they said the experience had lifted a weight from their shoulders.

“One of the most exciting things we’ve done is getting David Young on board,” Mott said. “He has been with the team before and has already been a great ally in the messages he sent back to me, making sure my messages were clear. It’s always good to have someone who is a little removed from the team and makes sure your message gets through.’

Mott said the need for greater clarity, mentioned by captain Jos Buttler on Tuesday, is all about “making sure the players stay true to their best game”.

Morgan captained England who won the 2019 World Cup on home soil in dramatic circumstances

Mott’s England side will bid to defend their T20I World Cup title in the Caribbean this summer

He added: “My coaching style has always been more of a cooperative approach: just keep asking questions about what their game looks like at its best and if they deviate from that, to get them back on track.

“We feel like it’s time to get the mojo back and go out there and really express ourselves as a team. I think T20, unlike ODI, is so much clearer in the way players can approach it.”

England expect to be without Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood, who are both recovering from knee problems, for Saturday’s second match at Edgbaston but plan to include both in the second half of the series at Cardiff and The Oval .