Selecting final 15 for WC will be difficult: Morgan

Southampton, May 12 (IANS) England skipper Eoin Morgan has admitted that it will be a tough job to select the final 15 for the upcoming World Cup beginning at the end of this month.

England defeated Pakistan by 12 runs in the second ODI at Southampton on Saturday. The match saw over 700 runs being scored on a belter of a wicket and it was England bowlers in the end who held their nerves to help their side go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

England have 17 members in their squad for the ongoing ODI rubber against Pakistan, out of which only 15 will make the cut for the showpiece event beginning May 30. Also, Jofra Archer is likely to be included after an eye-catching performance in the first game.

"Unfortunately, a couple of guys from this 17 will miss out, and it's going to be a tough decision, regardless of how they perform in the rest of this series because of what they've contributed over a long period of time," Morgan said after Saturday's game.

Morgan feels that the experience of Willey and Plunkett would see them getting the nod for the World Cup.

"For the last four years, David Willey and Liam Plunkett in particular have reacted really well to being put under pressure," Morgan said. "You ask them to do more and they respond really well. They probably don't get the praise that they should or that other guys get. But the more responsibility we've given them, they've reacted really well," he added.

England will start their World Cup campaign against South Africa on May 30 at The Oval. Before that, they will also play two warm-up matches against Australia and Afghanistan.