Andrew Strauss admits Eoin Morgan's broken finger has robbed England of their best one-day batsman for the forthcoming World Cup but backed stand-in Ravi Bopara to prove his worth.
The injury was sustained in the fourth ODI in Adelaide but not detected until over a week later as the player attempted to play through the pain.
England had hoped the Irishman could play some part in the knockout phase of the competition but, with surgery now required, he was replaced in the 15-man squad by Bopara.
Morgan has been widely credited with helping revolutionise England's limited-overs cricket, bringing an infectious inventiveness and aggression to the crease, and Strauss conceded he was a major loss.
The captain, speaking as the side arrived briefly back on British soil after more than 100 days down under and before their World Cup trip to Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, said: "Over the last 12-18 months he has been the standout performer for us in one-day cricket.
"We all see the World Cup as the forum to showcase our talents and skills and he is disappointed to be missing out.
"Unfortunately that's the nature of the beast; you are going to get injured and his has come at a bad time.
"Thankfully Eoin is a young bloke who has plenty more opportunities but for the time being we're going to have to make do without him. That's something we're prepared for and something we're able to do."
