Eoin Morgan says the end of his career in England “hit him” during the series with the Netherlands earlier this month, as the World Cup winner confirmed his international retirement. Under Morgan, England won the 2019 World Cup and reached the top of the one-day standings and the Twenty20. In the Netherlands, he made two ducks before losing his last international day with an inguinal injury. “The day that hit me was a very sad day,” said the 35-year-old. “I’ve dealt with a lot of former players about how they stopped, when and how the transition worked, and everyone said there was a moment and a place where it hit you,” Morgan added. “And the other common answer was that you would wake up and know. This moment has come for me in Amsterdam. “Since then I am incredibly proud and satisfied with the decision and excited about the English cricket that will follow.” Jos Buttler, who led England to nine ODIs and five T20s when Morgan was out with an injury, is expected to take over the role, with an announcement scheduled for later this week. England face India in a series of three T20 games starting on July 7 and the T20 World Cup in Australia starting in October. Morgan took charge of the T20 team in 2012 and the one-day team in 2014 and was also part of the team that won the 2010 T20 World Cup. He is the top scorer in England in one day cricket and T20 with 6,957 and 2,458 runs respectively. Morgan’s 225 ODIs and 115 T20s are also a record in England, but his two ducks against the Netherlands came at the end of a half-century streak in 26 white-ball appearances. He added: “Spending time on what was without a doubt the most enjoyable and satisfying chapter of my career was not an easy decision, but I think now is the time to do it, both for me, personally and for And the two English teams with a white ball I have led to this point. “It’s the culmination of a lot of things that during my long international career, I just got to the end. “I’m glad I was in a healthy enough place to understand this feeling and to know well what it meant and what it means both for the England teams and for myself in my personal life.” “Brilliant captain, brilliant dude, brilliant batsman” Ali to Morgan Morgan said he “will continue to enjoy playing at home as much as I can” and still plans to lead London Spirit in the second season of The Hundred in August. Asked about possible involvement in the England coaching staff, he added: “Right now the best thing about the coaching is to get out of it and let a new captain find his feet and build a relationship with the new coach and finally progress to the next World Cup. “I certainly have not ruled out coaching.” After overseeing England’s miserable 2015 World Cup campaign, when they were eliminated in the group stage, Morgan took a new, aggressive approach that helped his team break the record for the highest total of a day three times. Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said: “It would be a mistake to believe that Eoin’s legacy just won the 2019 World Cup – is much bigger than that. “As with all great players and leaders, it has changed the way the game is played and it has changed the way an entire generation and future generations will play this form of play. His legacy in the game will be felt for many more years. “He is, without a doubt, the best leader I have ever seen.”
