Eoin Morgan has made a surprising announcement to retire from international cricket. The 35-year-old had suffered a handful of injuries and niggles picked up from the Series against the Netherlands.
“After careful deliberation and consideration, I am here to announce my retirement from international cricket with immediate effect,” “I must also thank my team-mates, coaches, supporters, and those behind the scenes who have made my career and any successes possible.
I am hugely proud of what I have achieved as a player and captain, but the things I will cherish and remember the most are the memories I made with some of the greatest people I know along the way.”I have been lucky enough to play in two World Cup-winning teams, but I believe the future for England’s white-ball teams is brighter than ever.
We have more experience, more strength and more depth than ever before. I look forward to watching on with a huge level of excitement. “To what lies ahead for me, I will continue to enjoy playing at a domestic level while I can. I’m really looking forward to playing and captaining London Spirit in the second edition of The Hundred this year.”
Eoin Morgan: Sky Sports
Morgan started his career in Ireland and played 23 ODI’s for them scoring a total of 744 runs.
Embed from Getty Imagesthen went on to represent England in 225 0DIs and 115 T20 Internationals.
He captained the country in 126 One-Dayers, winning 76 of them, Including their first 50-Over World Cup in 2019.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe also led England to the Final of the 2016 T20 World Cup, where they lost to the West Indies.
He also changed the philosophy of the way England approached white-ball cricket and made the team inherit a much more aggressive, fearless, and attacking style of cricket. This brand of cricket not only won them the World Cup but also took them to the top of the ODI rankings, which they held onto for almost two years(22 months).
Embed from Getty ImagesHe also remains England’s all-time leading run-scorer in ODI and T20 cricket.
“From my start in the international arena with Ireland to winning the World Cup in 2019, I have never lost sight of how integral family support is to any international sportsperson. To my Mum and Dad, my wife, Tara, and our family around the world, thank you for your unconditional support throughout the good and more challenging times in my career. Without you all, this incredible journey would not have been possible.
Eoin Morgan: Sky Sports
Former England Captain Nasser Hussain backed the Irish-born Left-Hander’s decision and congratulated him on a wonderful career.
He has been short of form, short of fitness and there are other people now – there are so many white-ball batters who could be playing,” “It’s not the 10 he is taking on the field with him, it’s in the one he’s leaving behind because he’s in that spot, and Morgan will always think of that one. “He has been our greatest ever white-ball captain. He’s a World Cup-winning captain and he is a superb player. “He was the one that was reverse-sweeping, reverse-scooping and playing all of these funky shots. He was way ahead of his time both as a player and as a captain.”
Hussain: Sky Sports
While former Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara praised the Middlesex Left-Hander for his leadership skills.
“The players themselves have a huge loyalty to Eoin Morgan as a person, a captain and as their leader but at the same time, everyone’s got an expiry date in terms of their career on the cricketing field,”
Sangakkara: Sky Sports
Who Takes Over?
Embed from Getty ImagesJos Buttler is likely to be the first-choice candidate. The explosive keeper-batsman was Morgan’s deputy during England’s rise in ODI and T20 cricket.
Buttler has captained England in nine ODI’s, winning six of them, two at home, and four overseas. Buttler also captains the Manchester Originals In The Hundred tournament, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rob Key appoints him as the new white ball Skipper.
if the Test Captain is an All-rounder, is it worth giving the White-ball captaincy to Moeen Ali. Ali took charge of the Birmingham Pheonix in the inaugural Hundred tournament.
The Pheonix reached the Final of last year’s tournament, where they lost to James Vince’s Southern Brave.
Whoever the ECB decides will have a huge role to play in trying to maintain the level of success that Eoin has instilled in this wonderful white-ball outfit, and with a T20 World Cup around the corner, could this be the start of a great and glorious future in all formats?
For all the latest news and gossip on the England Cricket team, visit World in Sport.
