Cricket World Cup: English skipper a 'champion bloke' - McCullum

England captain Eoin Morgan at the end of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between England and Australia. Photo / Getty Images

England captain Eoin Morgan is struggling for batting form but has received an endorsement from his New Zealand counterpart Brendon McCullum ahead of tomorrow's World Cup fixture in Wellington.

The pair once played together for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and have become friends on the cricket circuit.

Morgan has suffered a run drought with scores of 0, 0, 2 and 0 since he made a century last month against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in his first match as the official England one-day international captain. McCullum sees his comrade as a threat.

"I caught up with him last night. He's a champion bloke and one of my better cricketing mates from around the world. He's obviously going through a bit of a tough time but tough times don't last, tough blokes do.

"Hopefully we're able to keep him quiet tomorrow, but I'm confident at some point he'll bounce out of it."

McCullum said they kept talk of Morgan's form to a minimum but he empathised with the perils of being a new international captain. McCullum took until his 11th test in charge to get a win. Now he's won eight out of 22.

"Over a period of time [form] is important but the hardest and most important time to lead is when you're struggling. That's when guys need to see you have it in you to think about the team, the game plan and driving the team ethos. That's the hardest time but also the most rewarding when you come out the other side.

"Knowing 'Morgs' as I do, he will still be focusing on the team, albeit wanting to boost his own performance. It is tough but that's the game we play. It brings out different traits in people. That's when you learn a lot about yourself."

England batting coach Mark Ramprakash echoed McCullum's thoughts.

"If it was another person [with that run of form] I'd have cause for concern because it'd weigh heavily, but [in terms of] handling the tournament and its pressures you couldn't ask for a better character. He's still the same guy in how he goes about his business. I would never be prescriptive to say, 'you need to do this'. It's more about seeing how he feels. The onus is on him because of his experience."

McCullum rated Morgan, who has played 136 ODIs, as one of England's match-winners.

"He has an uncanny ability to hit different areas and seize opportunities. Jos Buttler is also a dangerous player. They've got some quality at the top of the order and some bowlers who have been around a long time and had a lot of success. They've struggled recently but they're still a dangerous proposition. The wickets we play on allow match winners to come into play."