England captain Eoin Morgan has announced his intention to retire from international cricket. He said this was “the right time” to quit international cricket.
Since becoming England’s limited-overs captain, Morgan has led the team to its first World Cup title. He has also transformed the fortunes of the country’s cricket team.
Despite his achievements, Morgan has struggled with his fitness and form over the last 12 months. He decided to retire from international cricket. The 35-year-old batsman had hoped to lead the team at the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.
Morgan’s announcement
Morgan said he decided to retire from international cricket after carefully considering his situation. He also said he would continue playing for the country’s domestic teams.
“After careful deliberation and consideration, I am here to announce my retirement from international cricket with immediate effect,” said Morgan. “To call time on what has been without doubt the most enjoyable and rewarding chapter of my career hasn’t been an easy decision, but I believe now is the right time to do so, both for me, personally, and for both England white-ball sides I have led to this point.”
Despite his retirement from international cricket, Morgan noted that the country’s white-ball teams were in better shape than they have been in the past. The 5-foot-9 batsman also said that he was looking forward to watching them continue to improve.
“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,” Morgan added. “We have more experience, more strength and more depth than ever before. I look forward to watching on with a huge level of excitement.”
While he no longer plays international cricket, Morgan emphasized that he would continue playing for his local team, the London Spirit. The left-handed batsman also said that he was looking forward to leading the team in the second season of The Hundred.
“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,” Morgan said.
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Morgan’s international career
Morgan started his international career with Ireland in 2006. However, in 2009, he switched his allegiance to England. He became the country’s record one-day run-scorer with 6,957 runs. The Dublin-born also became the country’s leading run-scorer in Twenty20 internationals with 2,458.
Morgan was also the only player leading England to victories in the 50-over and Twenty20 World Cup tournaments. He played a crucial role in Paul Collingwood’s success in the 2010 World Cup in the Caribbean.
During the recently concluded one-day series against the Netherlands, Morgan was twice dismissed for ducks. He could also not play the final game due to a groin injury.
While playing international cricket, Morgan has been in touch with several former players. He said that he was able to learn a lot about their experiences through the conversations they had with each other.
“I’ve engaged a lot with ex-players as to when they stopped and how the transition worked and each person said, ‘There’s a time and a place and it hits you’,” Morgan said. “That moment came for me in Amsterdam. I’ve just come to the end. I’m glad I was in a sound enough space to understand that feeling and be well aware of what it meant.”
Jos Buttler, who has been the team’s vice-captain, is widely expected to replace Morgan as the new captain.
