Eoin Morgan said his decision to retire from international cricket, which he confirmed today, was made “after careful deliberation and consideration”.
It is a decision that epitomised his captaincy. Whether he was placing his field during a Super Over, batting at the death or timing his exit: Morgan was calm, calculated, clear-minded and reached a selfless conclusion.
Morgan has been as good as his word. He had long promised that as soon as he felt he had nothing left to give the England white-ball team he built, he would retire and allow the dynasty to charge on.
That moment arrived in the last fortnight, when England thrashed the Netherlands 3-0 in Amsterdam. Morgan recorded ducks in the first two games, then missed the third with a groin injury. It crystallised his twin dilemmas: declining form and a creaking body.
Morgan had opened up to Standard Sport in an interview last month about his fitness, revealing that he could no longer play T20s on successive days.
“There’s nothing specific [injury-wise],” he said. “I’m just old, I think! It takes longer to recover. You shouldn’t get injured warming up as a batsman, but I pulled my quad warming up [in Barbados this year], which means my body just didn’t recover at all.”
At that time, Morgan was still hoping to make it to this year’s T20 World Cup, and the ODI defence a year later. But as he watched on in Amsterdam, younger men like Liam Livingstone and Phil Salt shone. Without even a half-century for a year, Morgan was struggling to keep up. He turns 36 in September, so is not that old, but has been an international cricketer for 16 years, first with Ireland, then England from 2009.
“To call time on what has been without doubt the most enjoyable and rewarding chapter of my career hasn’t been an easy decision,” he said. “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.
“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.”
Morgan will now take on a nice portfolio career, in which he will continue playing domestic cricket for Middlesex, London Spirit and perhaps around the world, while likely doing some punditry and perhaps even coaching (Brendon McCullum has left a vacancy at Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom he used to play). But expect to see him watching horses with a Guinness in hand as often as he is at a cricket ground.
He will be replaced by Jos Buttler in both formats, with the appointment expected to be made official by the end of the week. With England playing India next week, Buttler has a tough act to follow but after years as a disciple of Morgan is ready.
Rob Key (below), England’s managing director, hailed Morgan as “without question, the best leader I have seen”.
“As with all great players and leaders, he has changed the way the game has been played, and he has changed the way an entire generation and generations to come will play this form of the game.
“His legacy within the game will be felt for many years to come.”
Key is right. The team that Morgan inherited just before the 2015 World Cup was poor, as they would prove at the tournament.
While some of the personnel would remain, the cricket was timid and already behind the times.
Morgan’s team will continue to push the boundaries of white-ball cricket, and his influence will remain however far he steps away
The transformation under Morgan was instant, with the skipper selecting a host of new, dynamic players and sticking with them. It endured, too. They would go on to win the 2019 World Cup, nine years after he had won the T20 equivalent in Barbados.
To remember Morgan only as a great leader does him a disservice. As one of England’s great batters he was innovative and brutal; just ask Afghanistan, who he smote for a world-record 17 sixes at Old Trafford during the 2019 World Cup.
Morgan’s team will continue to push the boundaries of white-ball cricket, and his influence will remain however far he steps away. One of England’s great cricketers’ timing here has been as impeccable as it was that day in Manchester.
