Eoin Morgan has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a 14-year career in which he established himself as one of England’s all-time greats.
Eoin Morgan has played cricket for England, Middlesex County Cricket Club and Surrey County Cricket Club since his debut in 2004. Morgan became the second man to achieve 100 Test wickets in a calendar year, following James Anderson’s record of achievement in 2014. He also holds the record for most Test runs in a calendar year (737), most runs in a series (936) and most centuries (12) in the same year. Morgan was named the Professional Cricketer of the Year at the 2016 ECB Awards.
The 35-year-old decided following a discussion with England head coach Chris Silverwood, and released a statement on Wednesday morning in which he thanked the ECB, his teammates and opponents, and his family for their support.
Morgan made his England debut in a one-day international against Scotland in 2006, and played in three World Cups, captaining the side to victory in the 2019 edition.
He is England’s leading run-scorer in ODIs, with 5,441 runs, and also has the most centuries (17) and the most sixes (278) in the format.
Morgan played in 231 ODIs, scoring 7,273 runs at an average of 39.1, and also featured in 36 T20Is, scoring 1,009 runs at an average of 33.6.
He will continue to play domestic cricket for Middlesex, and is also contracted to play in the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
“It has been an absolute privilege and a hell of a lot of fun to represent my country over the last 14 years,” Morgan said.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a team and I feel now is the right time to move on to the next stage of my career.
“I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career, including my family, friends, teammates, coaches and opponents.
“I look forward to continuing my career in domestic cricket and in the IPL.”
Silverwood paid tribute to Morgan’s achievements, saying: “Eoin is one great of the modern game and he can be extremely proud of everything he has achieved in an England shirt.
“His record speaks for itself and he has been a brilliant leader of this team over the past four years.
“I would like to thank him for his dedication to England cricket and wish him all the best for the future.”
England managing director Ashley Giles said Morgan would “go down as one of England’s all-time greats”.
“Eoin is a true pioneer of the modern game and his contribution to English cricket has been immense,” Giles said.
“His record is up there with the very best and he can be extremely proud of everything he has achieved in an England shirt.
“On behalf of everyone at the English Cricket Board, I’d like to thank Eoin for his dedication to English cricket and wish him all the best for the future.
Eoin Morgan was born on September 10, 1986, in Dublin, Ireland. He is an Irish cricketer and the current captain of the England national cricket team. A left-handed batsman, he plays county cricket for Middlesex and has also represented Ireland and England at youth level. He made his One-Day International (ODI) debut for Ireland in 2006 and his Test debut for England in 2010. He was appointed England’s limited-overs captain in 2014. In 2015, he led England to their first ever Cricket World Cup final, where they lost to Australia.
At the age of just 19, Morgan was selected to play for Ireland against Scotland in an ODI. He then made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2010 and his first appearance in England’s colours came the following year, when he was selected for the one-off Test against Sri Lanka.
Despite his relatively young age, Morgan has already established himself as one of the England team’s key players and was appointed captain of the ODI side in 2014. He has since led England to victory in the 2015 Cricket World Cup, as well as two series wins against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
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