A NATIVE DUBLINER may be set to lead the storied England cricket team – and no, it’s not because we beat them in the Cricket World Cup.

Eoin Morgan, 24, has been appointed vice-captain of the squad ahead of their Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka, which will be played in Bristol on Sunday. And with the current captain Stuart Broad still recovering from a heel injury, there is widespread speculation that Morgan will take the reins at some stage.

If he did so the left-handed Dubliner – who played internationally for Ireland until 2009, including in the 2007 Cricket World Cup – would become the first ever Irish man to captain the English team, according to the Irish Independent. He switched to play for England in 2009 after joining the Middlesex county team.

Morgan told the Daily Mail he was “chomping at the bit” after being handed the vice-captaincy. He added the game would be “would be one hell of an experience, regardless of what happens, and something I could learn a lot from.”

The batsman has previously told reporters: “From the age of 13, I wanted to play cricket for England. I’ve never felt any shame in saying this is what I wanted to do.”