England's World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan calls time on his career

During his illustrious career, Eoin Morgan represented England and Ireland in international cricket. He retires as England's all-time scorer.

Eoin Morgan, England's only ODI World Cup-winning captain, has called time on his career in international cricket. Eoin Morgan leaves the game as his country's all-time scorer and the player to make the most appearances for the Three Lions in both the 50-over and the T20 format.

During his illustrious career, Eoin Morgan represented both England and Ireland in international cricket. However, his moment of reckoning came in 2009 when he decided to change allegiance from Ireland to England.

Overall, Eoin Morgan scored 7701 runs in ODIs, out of which 6957 were scored in an England shirt. 13 of his 14 centuries in the 50-over format also came as an England player.

In T20Is Eoin Morgan made 2458 runs in 115 appearances. His runs in the shortest format were scored at a strike rate of 136.17.

Eoin Morgan last featured in a Test match for England back in 2012. In a total of 16 red-ball matches before that, he could only collect 700 runs for the Three Lions.

But more than his runs, Eoin Morgan is credited for changing England's approach towards limited-overs cricket. Before him, England didn't take the ODIs and T20Is seriously and mainly focused on Tests, particularly the Ashes.

"I'm hugely proud of what I have achieved, but what I will cherish and remember most are the memories I made with some of the greatest people I know."#ThankYouMorgs 👏

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 28, 2022

Eoin Morgan's arrival as captain in 2015 changed things for England as he asked his teammates to emulate the Sri Lankan style of an aggressive approach, particularly in the ODIs.

Sri Lanka during the 1996 World Cup destroyed their rival teams by launching an all-out assault on their bowlers, something England eventually replicated to win their maiden World Cup in 2019.

“After careful deliberation and consideration, I am here to announce my retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. 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,” Eoin Morgan said in a statement released by the ECB.

“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,” Morgan further said.

“I must also thank my teammates, 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,” he added.

“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 elaborated.

Eoin Morgan said his decision to hang his boots came after intense discussions with Rob Key, England men's managing director, and new limited-overs coach, Matthew Mott.

Morgan's retirement from the sport was sidely speculated after he failed to score a single run in his two outings against the Netherlands earlier this month.

“I engaged a lot with ex-players as to when they stopped and how it came about, and how the transition worked. And each person to a man said there's a time and a place where it hits you. Or the other common answer was, you know, you wake up and you know, and that moment came to me in Amsterdam,” Eoin Morgan continued.

“And I think it's a combination of a lot of things, that over the course of my international career, which is has been a long time, 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. And also what it means, both for the England white-ball sides that I've led until now and me and my personal life,” Morgan asserted

“The day that it hit me it was quite a sad day, reaching the end of such a special journey. But in many ways since that day, I've been incredibly proud and content with the decision, and excited for English cricket going forward. There have been so many strong decisions made in a positive way for not only our group but the Test group over the last month and a half, the appointment of two new coaches and a new red-ball captain. And the way that both sides play is just incredible. So as I sit back now, as a fan, I'm incredibly excited,” the 35-year-old cricketer concluded.