2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan has retired from international cricket after playing at the highest level for 16 years. Lack of form and fitness over the last few months probably led him to take the decision. In the recently concluded three-match ODI series against the Netherlands, the former international cricketer bagged two ducks before sitting out in the final game due to a groin injury.
Morgan was one of England’s best white-ball players and also the only England captain to win the ODI World Cup. Let’s take a quick recap of his journey in international cricket.
Eoin Morgan’s international career - ODIs, T20Is and Tests
ODIs
Eoin Morgan made his international debut in the ODI format in 2006. However, his international debut didn’t come for England but instead for Ireland. The Irish cricketer played for his home country for three years before moving to England in 2009. Morgan ended his ODI career with 7701 runs in 248 games with an average of 39.29. This includes 14 centuries and 4 fifties. Key stats from Morgan’s ODI career:
With 7701 runs in 248 games, Morgan is England’s highest run-scorer in ODIs. His 42 fifties in the format are most by any England cricketer in the 50-over format.
Morgan holds the record for hitting the most number of sixes (17) in an ODI innings. He achieved the feat against Afghanistan during the 2019 World Cup. He scored 148 runs in that game, which is the third-highest score by an England captain in ODIs.
He also holds the record for hitting most sixes (202) for England and the record for playing most number of ODIs (225) for England.
T20Is
Morgan made his T20I debut in 2009 for England against Netherlands. He scored 2458 runs in 115 games at an average of 28.58 and strike rate of 136.17. This includes 14 half-centuries. Key stats from Morgan’s T20I career:
Morgan has also amassed the most runs (2458) for England in T20 internationals. He has also made most appearances (115) for his team in the shortest format.
Morgan has hit the most number of sixes (120) for England in T20 internationals. The 120 sixes are also the fourth most number of sixes hit in the shortest format. Only Martin Guptill (165), Rohit Sharma (155), and Chris Gayle (124) have hit more sixes in T20 internationals than Morgan.
Tests
Morgan was primarily a white-ball player, and his Test career comprised only 16 matches. Morgan made his red-ball debut in 2010 against Bangladesh and finished his Test career with 700 runs at an average of 30.43, including two centuries.
Eoin Morgan is the highest run-scorer in U19 World Cups
Eoin Morgan was a part of Ireland's squads for the 2004 and 2006 U-19 World Cups. In these two editions combined, Morgan scored 606 runs from 13 matches at an average of 50.50, becoming the highest U-19 World Cup run-scorer in the tournament’s history.
Eoin Morgan’s captaincy records
Eoin Morgan became England's ODI captain less than two months before the 2015 World Cup when the team was consistently underperforming. One of the most tactical captains in world cricket, Morgan led England’s limited-overs teams for seven years, during which England became number one in the ICC world rankings and finished as finalists and semi-finalist in two successive T20I World Cups. However, Morgan’s greatest glory as skipper came in 2019, when England won their maiden ODI World Cup. He is the only England captain to have won the ODI World Cup.
Morgan played the joint-most matches (72) as a captain in T20Is, sharing the record with former India skipper MS Dhoni. He also won the most matches (44) as a captain in T20 internationals.
