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Defiant England coach hits back at Eoin Morgan criticism

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Mott spoke to the media after England’s sixth loss of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – a demoralising 100-run defeat to hosts India.

And the head coach was asked specifically about comments made by Morgan.

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The former England World Cup-winning captain had remarked "I think there's something else going on – there has to be," when discussing England’s uncharacteristic displays in the tournament.

But Mott says that Morgan is wide of the mark.

“Eoin’s entitled to his opinion. He's obviously been away for a couple of weeks with the birth of his child. He hasn't been in and around the rooms, but I'll certainly take that up with him and have a chat to him.

“We've got a really good relationship with him. So, if he's seeing something that I'm not, I'll definitely have that conversation.

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“I think anyone that's inside our tent at the moment would say that despite our results, we're an incredibly tight-knit unit – to the point where Dave Humphries, who's a former rugby international, was flabbergasted just how tight the unit was when he came in for a week to observe us.”

England's defence of their World Cup title is not mathematically over, but five defeats from six matches in India means it would take an unprecedented turnaround in the table for this group of players to reach the final four.

Australia await Mott and his players next, with the game to be held in Ahmedebad next Saturday.

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