Eoin Morgan likely to retire from international cricket: Reports – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan is set to step down as the captain of the national side. There are also reports that state that Morgan is set to retire from international cricket.

The 2019 World Cup-winning captain is mulling over his future for the past few days, according to The Guardian report.  He is expected to announce his retirement over the week.

An ESPN Cricinfo report mentioned that Morgan is set to step down as England’s white-ball captain.

Morgan returned with back–to–back ducks in the first two ODIs against the Netherlands, before sitting out of the third ODI citing a groin injury. Ironically he participated in a corporate match on Saturday, in contrast to the injury. But he has since withdrawn from a scheduled appearance for the cricket charity Chance to Shine at a school in Hackney on Tuesday, reported The Guardian.

In an interview before the start of the Netherlands series, he admitted, “If I don’t think I am good enough or I don’t feel I am contributing to the team, then I will finish.”

Speaking at the BBC’s Test Match Special, Moeen Ali said, “He obviously feels like he’s done with international cricket. It is and it isn’t [a surprise] at the same time. It is because of the World Cup not being too far away at the end of the summer and he for us is our perfect leader. He’s done an amazing job, he knows what it takes to win. It’s a shame, it’s strange to comprehend the side without him at the moment. Obviously, things move on and you kind of get used to it, but it is sad.”

Moeen further said that he is selfless and puts the team first, and hence he might feel that his time is done. “And I’m not surprised at the same time because he’s a very selfless person and he’s thinking about the team more than anything. We’ve been so strong over the years and he probably himself feels like his time is done and he’s given enough time for Jos or whoever the captain is going to be to embed his way.”

Swashbuckling batter Jos Buttler is expected to take over the reins once Morgan quits. Moeen Ali would also be a probable candidate. However, Moeen backed Buttler for the role. “The great thing is he has captained before.  Obviously, when Morgs doesn’t play, Jos captains when he’s playing and he’s got extreme experience now. He’s been around the world playing franchise cricket and he’s been part of this whole journey. He knows what it takes and he’s tactically fantastic,” Moeen added.

Morgan has been the most prolific white-ball captain for England, changing the dynamics for England in the shorter formats of the game. He also led England to the 2019 World Cup victory. However, his recent form with the bat has dipped as he has managed to score only 2 half-centuries in the last 28 innings across formats. The left-handed batter took over the captaincy from Alastair Cook in 2014, and since then revolutionized England’s white-ball cricket. Morgan has scored more than 7,700 runs in 248 ODIs and is 42 runs short of 2,500 runs in the T20I format, after having played 115 games. He also has 14 centuries to his name in the ODI format.

“Eoin Morgan has been the most influential white-ball cricketer England have ever had. He’s been our best white-ball captain, and he has been a fantastic player. And he gave us the best moment in English white-ball cricket that we’ve ever had, at Lord’s. It was an incredible day, an incredible finale, and a lot of it was down to the skipper,” Nasser Hussain, former England captain, told Sky Sports ahead of the final day’s play against New Zealand.

It will be interesting to see if he features in the white-ball leg against India starting on 7 July 2022.

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