England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan retires from international cricket

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday confirmed that England Men's white-ball captain Eoin Morgan has retired from international cricket with immediate effect.

During his 13-year international career with England, the 35-year-old won the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup as Captain in 2019 at Lord's, the first time England Men had won the world crown. He was also a part of the England team that won the 2010 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. Morgan is the all-time leading run-scorer and most-capped player for England Men in both ODI and T20I matches.

During his seven-year tenure as Men's ODI captain, he guided England to number one in the ICC world rankings, including notable series victories against all the major nations.

In his record-breaking 225 ODI caps, he scored 6,957 runs, including 13 hundred at an average of 39.75. In his 126 matches as Captain, Morgan oversaw 76 victories with a win percentage of 60 per cent, the best win record by any England Men's ODI Captain in the history of the game.

He captained the Men's T20I side on 72 occasions, equal to India's MS Dhoni as the most in T20 international cricket. In all, he represented England on 115 occasions scoring 2,458 runs. As a Test cricketer, he won 16 caps over a three-year period scoring two centuries.

He also holds the world record for the highest number of sixes in an ODI inning, with 17 against Afghanistan at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

In 2020, he received a CBE for services to cricket.

Morgan started his international career with Ireland, where he played 23 ODIs from 2006 to 2009.

Eoin Morgan said: "After careful deliberation and consideration, I am here to announce my retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. To call time on what has been without a doubt the most enjoyable and rewarding chapter of my career has not been an easy decision, 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."

"From my start in the international arena with Ireland to win the World Cup in 2019, I have never lost sight of how integral family support is to any international sportsperson. To my Mum and Dad, my wife, Tara, and our family around the world thank you for your unconditional support throughout the good and more challenging times in my career. Without you all, this incredible journey would not have been possible."

"I must also thank my teammates, coaches, supporters, and those behind the scenes who have made my career and any successes possible. I am hugely proud of what I have achieved as a player and captain, but the things I will cherish and remember the most are the memories I made with some of the greatest people I know along the way," the 35-year-old said.

"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."

"To what lies ahead for me, I will continue to enjoy playing at a domestic level while I can. I'm really looking forward to playing and captaining London Spirit in the second edition of The Hundred this year," he added.

Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, said: "On behalf of the ECB and everyone involved in cricket, I would like to thank Eoin Morgan for his outstanding contribution to the game."

"It will be wrong to think Eoin's legacy was just winning the World Cup in 2019; it is far greater than that."

"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."

"He is, without question, the best leader I have seen. I wish him well in the next chapter of his career."

(ANI)