England hope home World Cup can break down barriers on and off pitch

Eoin Morgan’s side start as favourites to lift their first title but tournament offers once-in-a-generation to revive interest

The last time England hosted the Cricket World Cup 20 years ago they suffered the embarrassment of being knocked out before the official tournament song had even been released. Their record has scarcely improved since. Yet when Eoin Morgan’s side open the 2019 tournament against South Africa on Thursday they will be in the unfamiliar role of favourites.

England’s captain also has his eyes on another prize: a once-in-a-generation chance to revive interest in cricket, which has slipped since it went behind Sky’s paywall after England’s Ashes victory in 2005. As Morgan said yesterday: “The World Cup raises the profile of the game and is a platform for every young kid in this country to have a hero or inspiration to pick up a ball or a bat. If we were to go on and win it, I couldn’t imagine what it would do.”

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from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2I9mP06

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