Morgan concern for England

England captain Eoin Morgan has suffered a “small flake fracture” of his left index finger in training on Friday. He will miss his country’s warm-up match against Australia on Saturday but is expected to be fit for the opening World Cup game next week.

Morgan took a blow on his left index finger while practising slip catching from a bowling machine at the Ageas Bowl.

The hosts faced a nervous wait on the results of an x-ray Morgan underwent but an ECB statement released on Friday afternoon read: “England captain Eoin Morgan has sustained a small flake fracture to his left index finger. He will not take part in the match [against Australia], but is expected to make a full recovery and be available for England’s opening ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match against South Africa at The Oval on Thursday 30 May.”

England had described the scan as “precautionary”. The fact he was not immediately rushed to hospital and was seen in the team canteen looking upbeat also suggested there is no major issue.

There were worries that a fracture -- which would take around four weeks to heal -- would rule the 32-year-old out of the group stage of the World Cup. That may have posed a problem for the hosts because, with Alex Hales ‘deselected’ until further notice, Joe Denly and Ben Duckett were the only viable candidates.

Yet nobody would be able to replace Morgan’s influence on the field or in the dressing-room given he has been the driving force behind the team’s transformation from World Cup also-rans four years ago to No 1 in the world and favourites for this year’s tournament.

Meanwhile, England have confirmed Adil Rashid will miss Saturday’s match against Australia to rest the right shoulder injury that flared up during the recent one-day series against Pakistan.

It gives the left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, a surprise call-up for the World Cup , the chance to play for England for the first time since the tour of Sri Lanka last October.