Eoin Morgan feels the England team is less experienced than India and Australia

Jonny Bairstow’s performance against Ireland has been great, but that is unlikely to warrant him a place in the playing XI for the Champions Trophy. Batting at No 5, he hit 72 from 44 balls to help his side register a 2-0 series win over Ireland at the iconic Lord’s on Sunday.

But once the league stage of the Indian Premier League ends on May 14, all-rounder Ben Stokes and England’s preferred limited-overs wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler will return home. This means that the team will have to find room for the 27-year old as a specialist batsman as low as No. 7 in the batting line-up.

Joe Root, who too impressed against Ireland, may be played as the sixth bowler in place of Moeen Ali. However, captain Eoin Morgan feels there is no place for the Yorkshire wicketkeeper in the team unless he has to be played as a replacement for an injured player.

“It is looking like that at the moment, which is unfortunate for him. With Ben [Stokes] coming back into the side it allows us to play another all-rounder in the side with Mo at seven,” said Morgan.

Although Bairstow’s innings at Lord’s was very impressive, the English captain emphasised that batting lower down the order does not always come off: “You can’t guarantee that and how often would he be used? We’ve a really strong batting line-up, particularly when Stokes, Woakes and Buttler come back in. To have Woakes coming in at eight, it is hard to justify,” the England limited-overs skipper said.

Just after Sam Billings returned home midway through the IPL to take part in the Ireland series, news had it that Billings’ association with other IPL stars led him to believe that all cricket nations are ‘petrified’ of England in limited -overs cricket. He made headlines with this claim. But captain Morgan feels that is not true at all, and England squad is less experienced than other prominent sides like India and Australia.

“I think Sam is rediscovering the word ‘petrified’,” Morgan said. “That is not true at all. We are not favourites coming into the tournament. Experience-wise, we are further behind sides like India, Australia, who always go in as favourites for a big tournament. I think we need to earn the tag ‘favourites’ by beating top sides more often – we have not done it enough.”

The prestigious 50-overs ICC tournament begins on June 1.