LONDON: Ravi Bopara has replaced the injured Eoin Morgan in England's World Cup squad after the former Ireland batsman was ruled out of the tournament with a broken finger Tuesday. Tests revealed Morgan had cracked the middle finger of his left hand during the fourth One-Day International against Australia in Adelaide last month. Initially, England thought the injury would heal in time for the World Cup, which gets underway in the Indian subcontinent on Feb. 19. But when Morgan experienced more pain, medical staff investigated further and, after he had played two further matches, discovered the fracture. The 24-year-old will have the finger operated on and is out of the entire World Cup. Morgan has been England's most successful one-day batsman since making his debut in 2009 but coach Andy Flower insisted Bopara would be a valuable addition to the squad. Flower, speaking shortly after England returned from Australia, told reporters at Heathrow Airport here Tuesday: “It is a serious loss to us. “He (Morgan) has been a very influential limited overs performer for us since he joined the England team. “But no-one is irreplaceable and Ravi Bopara is a very exciting and talented player. He will also bring a little bit of medium-paced bowling which will help out the captain in those middle overs.”
