England coach Matthew Mott responds to criticism from Eoin Morgan after former captain accused senior figures of 'shirking responsibility' during disastrous World Cup defence in India

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England white-ball coach Matthew Mott has dismissed criticism from former World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, saying only those inside the dressing-room ‘understand what’s going on’.

Morgan accused Mott and other senior figures in the one-day side of ‘shirking responsibility’ when assistant coach Carl Hopkinson was sent out to address the media ahead of England’s game against the Netherlands towards the end of their disastrous defence of the 50-over title in India in November.

And he described England as a ‘sinking ship’ in a tournament in which they won only three of their nine matches. In private, Morgan was also critical of the management’s messaging - a point Mott has apparently conceded by rehiring David Young, the head of sports psychology at Manchester City who played a role in England’s turnaround during the 2019 World Cup they ended up winning.

Mott, who is preparing for his side’s defence of the T20 title in the Caribbean next month, said Morgan was entitled to his opinion, but questioned the relevance of his perspective.

‘He was critical, but family and friends got more upset about it than I did,’ said Mott. ‘Initially, of course, you take it a bit personally, but he’s there to have an opinion, and his opinion is actually none of my business. If he feels strongly about something, that’s for him. I always respect Morgs and his opinion.

Matthew Mott has responded to criticisms from former England captain Eoin Morgan

Morgan suggested the England coaching staff were 'shirking responsibility' after sending Carl Hopkinson to address the media at the World Cup

‘All I’ll say is that only the people within the dressing-room can fully understand what’s going on. Once you leave the dressing-room, you might hear titbits of stuff, but you don’t really know how the team’s operating.’

Morgan, whose reign as England captain ended shortly after Mott took charge in 2022, will be working for the ICC commentary team in the West Indies during the World Cup, with their coverage used by Sky Sports.

Mott was speaking after the first of England’s four T20s against Pakistan was washed out at Headingley, depriving his side of 25 per cent of their match-time preparation ahead of their World Cup opener against Scotland in Barbados on June 4.

And he revealed that Young had been brought in to help ensure ‘my messages are clear’ after England grew ‘insular’ and tried to ‘problem solve ourselves’ during the World Cup in India.

Young, who has a consultancy agreement with the ECB to work with England’s white-ball teams, was credited with changing the mindset of Morgan’s side at the low point of their 2019 campaign.

With England needing to win their last four matches to win the trophy, he urged the players to express their concerns and vulnerabilities. Almost to a man, they said the experience had lifted a weight from their shoulders.

‘One of the more exciting things we’ve done is get David Young on board,’ said Mott. ‘He’s previously been with the team and he’s already been a great ally in messages back to me, making sure my messages are clear. It’s always good to have someone who’s a little bit removed from the squad to make sure you’re landing your messages.’

Mott said that the need for greater clarity, mentioned by captain Jos Buttler on Tuesday, was all about ‘making sure the players are staying true to their best game’.

Morgan captained the England side that won the 2019 World Cup on home soil in dramatic circumstances

Mott's England side are bidding to defend their T20I World Cup title in the Caribbean this summer

He added: ‘My style of coaching has always been more of a cooperative approach: just keep asking the questions on what does their game look like at its best and if they’re veering away from that, to drag them back on track.

‘We feel like it’s time to get the mojo back and go out and really express ourselves as a team. I think T20, as opposed to ODI, is so much clearer in the way the players can approach it.’

England expect to be without Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood, who are both recovering from knee niggles, for Saturday’s second game at Edgbaston, but plan to field both in the second half of the series at Cardiff and The Oval.