England ready to run Ashes injury gauntlet as Eoin Morgan insists they won't rest stars against West Indies

“We’re going to play our best team in this series,” said Morgan after a washout in the second ODI at Nottingham

The day's action at Trent Bridge was called off for rain (Getty 2017)

England captain Eoin Morgan insists no players will be rested with this winter’s Ashes in mind during the ongoing one-day series against West Indies.

Joe Root, England’s Test captain, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow were all included in the team for today’s abandoned second ODI at Trent Bridge.

And Morgan says there are no plans to rest any of that quartet for the remaining three matches of the series despite England’s Ashes tour starting in just over a month’s time.

This has been England’s longest-ever international summer, starting as it did with an ODI against Ireland in Bristol on May 5 and incorporating the Champions Trophy and seven Test matches.

However, Morgan has confirmed there is no intention to give anyone a rest before this five-match series concludes in Southampton next Friday.

“We’re going to play our best team in this series,” said Morgan.


 Eoin Morgan (l) said stars like Ben Stokes (r), a match-winner in the first ODI, won't be rested 
 (Getty)

“We feel given they will have the whole of October off, we have planned for this pretty much since the lead-in to the Champions Trophy after which all them were rested for the South Africa T20 series barring Jonny Bairstow, who was playing for an opportunity more than anything else.

“All the guys have the month of October off and then obviously a long winter’s tour of Australia where at the back end of that there could be an opportunity in the T20 tri-series where potentially we can take a look at guys being rested.”

This second ODI against West Indies lasted all of 2.2 overs before steady rain in Nottingham cut short proceedings.

Morgan, though, believes it is not too late in the year to be playing international cricket.

“I think given the nature of the amount of cricket we’ve had this summer we’re forced to play a bit later than we would normally but that’s been the schedule for a while,” he said.


 Bairstow has boosted his England chances this week but Alex Hales (not pictured) hasn't been so lucky 
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In the 10 minutes or so of play, there was enough time for the hosts to reach 21 without loss, Bairstow following up his century during England’s win at Old Trafford on Tuesday with an unbeaten nine here. Alex Hales, whose chances of making England’s Ashes squad as a middle order batsman now appear slim if whispers from the dressing-room are to be believed, made 10 not out on his home ground before the heavens opened.

Hales had hit an England-record 171 here against Pakistan late last summer.

But his hopes of replicating that performance were scotched by the incessant band of rain that hung over this corner of the East Midlands for the majority of the afternoon and early evening.

Chris Gayle could now be a doubt for the third match of this series in Bristol on Sunday after he was ruled out of this contest with a hamstring injury.

Gayle, celebrating his 38th birthday today, had appeared to tweak his hamstring while batting in the series opener in Manchester.

West Indies coach Stuart Law said: “He’s been for scans and we don’t know the results of those yet. He tweaked a hamstring in the warm-up just before the toss. We’ll monitor him and see how he’s going for Bristol. But if you do a hamstring at 38 it’s going to take longer than when you’re 18 so we’ll err on the side of caution.”