Eoin Morgan took a swipe at the Lord’s ground staff for the pitch that left England 20 for six after five overs of their defeat by South Africa.
No side in the history of one-day international cricket has lost as many wickets in as few deliveries as England did here, after losing the toss. They were eventually bowled out for 153 in 31.1 overs, and South Africa cruised to a seven-wicket win in 28.5 overs.
England still took the three-match series 2-1 and Morgan is confident this result will not affect their form in the Champions Trophy, which starts at The Kia Oval on Thursday when the hosts meet Bangladesh.
Instead, captain Morgan – who plays domestic cricket for Middlesex at this ground – questioned the quality of the wicket prepared for this game.
He said: "I don’t think that was a one-day international wicket. What cost us was the first hour this morning when there was a lot of live green grass on the wicket, but South Africa bowled beautifully.
"I’d be disappointed [if we came across surfaces like that in the Champions Trophy]. Any side who bat first have the potential to lose the game, and to win or lose the game on the toss in a major tournament is hard to take. It makes it one-sided which I don’t think is good for anybody.
"Lord’s has never been a prolific ground for us, batting-wise. At the grounds we’re playing at in the Champions Trophy (The Oval, Edgbaston and Cardiff) we have had success, particularly with the bat."
Jonny Bairstow was once more England’s best performer, making 51, while opener Jason Roy struggled again, falling to the fifth ball of the match.
Morgan is confident Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, rested here due to injury concerns, will play on Thursday. Stokes may have a second scan on his left knee problem tomorrow/on Tuesday, which is likely to determine whether he can bowl at The Oval.
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If that trio return, it appears Bairstow would be favourite to miss out again. Morgan said: "Is it important we don’t make last-minute changes? Yes, yes. It’s the hardest thing to tell Jonny he’s not playing, especially when he has done nothing wrong.
"He scores a huge amount of runs for us. As regards selection, Jason is the No1 pick at the moment. He and Alex Hales have been our opening pair for quite a long time. They have had ups and downs.
"But ultimately they have played in the fashion we have played as a team, and they have been very important to us."
