Eoin Morgan has acknowledged that his England side’s inexperience has been costly as they prepare for their decisive fourth T20I against New Zealand in Napier.

The skipper’s dismissal for 18 in the third Twenty20 in Nelson heralded the start of a middle-order collapse as England lost five wickets for 10 runs.

Lewis Gregory and Sam Curran, both newcomers to the international T20 setup, were among those who lost their wickets – and Morgan bemoaned the loss of a game that appeared in England’s grasp.

"I think that's one that got away from us," he said.

"I thought we were in control of the whole chase, probably until we went three or four down - then the lack of experience possibly cost us.

"But the guys that have come in need to play more games and get in more situations like that, in order for us to find more out about them.”

England find themselves 2-1 down in the five-match encounter, having followed their initial seven-wicket win with defeat by 21 runs in Wellington.

But Morgan is not pressing the panic button as the pressure ramps up ahead of the final two fixtures.

"I think it's great the series has been so competitive so far, we're integrating everybody into the squad,” he said.

"The game plan remains the same. Everything about what we do is positive, smart, aggressive cricket - in the field, with the bat, and with the ball - and we want young guys to come in and adapt to that.

"There are a lot of positives to take, but moving to Napier and a must-win match to level the series, we'll need to up our game.”

Those positives include the Curran brothers, who have taken ten wickets between them in the opening three games of the series.

And the captain singled out the duo for particular praise in the aftermath of England’s latest clash.

"Tom Curran at the end [of the New Zealand innings] was excellent, his execution was fantastic,” he said.

“Sam Curran has gone from strength to strength in this series as well having made his debut in the first game taking the new ball, and we feel he’s just getting better and better, so that’s a massive positive for us so far.”

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Eoin Morgan’s world champions will face Ireland in a One-Day International at Trent Bridge on Thursday 10 September 2020. Secure your seats…