Morgan back on deck after helmet blow

Eoin Morgan will resume his leadership of England's one-day team in the first ODI against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi tomorrow, two months after a bout of concussion, caused by a Mitchell Starc bouncer, ruled him out of the end of the English season.

Morgan, who warmed up for the four-match ODI series with a knock of 16 from 20 balls in a friendly against Hong Kong on Sunday, recalled how he had been left feeling groggy and dizzy for ten days following the blow to his helmet during the fifth ODI against Australia at Old Trafford in September.

The incident had occurred early in Morgan's innings during the series decider, when, with England already struggling on 22 for 3, he took his eyes off a Starc delivery and ducked into the ball, which smashed into the side of his head.

In the wake of the Phillip Hughes tragedy in November 2014, Morgan had already switched helmets in mid-series, and had opted for a Masuri model, with additional protection around the neck. However, the reaction of Australia's fielders was an indication of the potential seriousness of such a hit.

"At the time, it was quite concerning,'' he said. "The ball hit me quite hard."

Following on-field treatment, Morgan was forced to retire hurt and in his absence England collapsed to 138 all out and an eventual eight-wicket defeat. He was not selected for Middlesex's final County Championship match of the season, although he had been unlikely to feature even if fit, and took his time to return to full fitness.

"It was about 10 days before I was, I suppose, myself," he said. ""Balance, grogginess, it was a really weird feeling. It's worrying, to be honest, because the feeling of concussion is something I've never had before.

However, following intensive net sessions in the UAE since arriving to lead the limited-overs leg of the tour, Morgan insisted he had no concerns about facing a Pakistan attack that is expected to include the hostile pace of Wahab Riaz, the recent Man of the Match in the second Test, and the returning Mohammad Irfan, whose towering seven-foot frame can extract lift on any surface.

"I've watched it back a number of times; I've watched loads of footage of me in the past, how I've normally played [the short ball]," he said. "I still look back at it now and, hats off, it was a pretty good delivery.

"I've done a lot of short-ball practice since then and I'm quite confident going into this series that I've progressed.''

Morgan will hope that the incident has not spelt the end of a resurgent run of form in limited-overs cricket - both personally and for his team. His own struggles with the bat mirrored those of his team during the World Cup in March, for which he had been belatedly named as captain following the sacking of Alastair Cook.

However, in the English summer he scored 600 runs at 66.66 in ten matches, including one century and six fifties, as England, first, beat the World Cup finalists, New Zealand, in a gripping series that included, at Headingley, England's first 400-plus total in ODI history, and then battled back from 0-2 against the World Champions, Australia, to eventually lose a competitive series 3-2.

"It was a very productive summer for us, in which we've seen a lot of our youngsters [play] some unbelievable performances,'' he said. "This, again, will be different. But I think the culture and the platform the summer gave us will hold us in good stead."

In terms of restoring his own confidence to those summer levels, Morgan said that he had started to rebuild his game in the nets.

"I did that about three weeks ago, quite a lot of work in indoor schools on quicker surfaces, which hopefully prepares you for that event again, to judge it in a better way.

"It's crucial [to get back in the middle]," he added. ""[But] I'm feeling all right ... I know guys who in the past have had prolonged concussions, so I feel very lucky to be back."