'Feel like he's done with international cricket'- Moeen Ali on reports of Eoin Morgan's retirement

Eoin Morgan led England to their maiden 50-over World Cup title in 2019 at home.

Eoin Morgan I Getty

The Guardian had reported about England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan thinking about retiring from international cricket. Morgan is largely credited for being the main hand behind changing England's white-ball fortunes and leading them to their maiden ODI World Cup win in 2019 at home.

Morgan, who began playing for Ireland in international cricket in 2006, switched to England in 2009 and has 225 One-Day Internationals and 115 Twenty20 Internationals.

Of the 7701 ODI runs Morgan scored, 6957 were made after switching allegiance from Ireland to England in 2009. 

In all, Morgan captained England 126 times in ODI cricket and a further 72 times in T20Is. He also led England in two T20 World Cups but a title run eluded his side by small margins in both 2016 (runners-up) and 2022 (semifinalists).

Morgan has been struggling with bad form and injury issues for quite some time now. Owing to an injury, he just withdrew from the final ODI against the Netherlands.

It would be a real surprise if Sarfaraz Khan is not selected for the next Test series- Sunil Gavaskar

His teammate and one-time vice-captain Moeen Ali reacted to the rumors and basically said that he thinks Eoin Morgan is done with international cricket. 

Speaking to BBC's Test Match Special, about the news, Moeen said, "He obviously feels like he's done with international cricket and the team for him still comes first, which just shows how unselfish he is. He's done a remarkable job and he's the best we've ever had, for sure."

"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. 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."

(BBC inputs)

 
 

By Hritwik Chakraborty - 27 Jun, 2022

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