Eoin Morgan could continue on the domestic circuit.
(Picture: Getty Images)World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan is expected to this week announce his retirement from England duty.
Morgan, 35, has overseen a period of unprecedented white-ball success as skipper, lifting England from the low ebb of the 2015 World Cup to winning the tournament for the first time four years later. He also guided England to the T20 World Cup Final in 2016 and semi-finals last year. Before taking over the captaincy, he won the T20 World Cup in 2010.
The next T20 World Cup is in Australia in October this year, and Morgan had hoped to captain England in the tournament. The ODI World Cup defence in India late next year always looked distant, as he would be 37 by then.
Morgan has recently declined to comment on his international future, but a combination of a dip in form, the excellence of younger batters and mounting injuries mean he has been considering his future this week.
The Guardian reported on Sunday night that Morgan had withdrawn from a speaking appearance at a charity event on Tuesday and was mulling over his future. He appears set to conclude that now is the time to move on from international cricket, but could continue on the domestic circuit.
Last month, Morgan admitted in an interview with Standard Sport that his body was creaking, and that he was unable to play T20 matches on successive days. “There’s nothing specific [injury-wise],” he said. “I’m just old, I think! It takes longer to recover.”
Since, he sat out the final ODI in the Netherlands with a groin injury, after making successive ducks in the first two matches of the series. That followed a pattern of declining form that has seen him go 12 months without scoring a half-century in any form of cricket.
Jos Buttler is the favourite to take over in both formats, having been Morgan’s vice-captain for some years, but consideration will be given to Moeen Ali, who has also deputised at times.
Later this week, England are set to name their squad for white-ball internationals against India, which begin next week with three T20s, which are likely to see the start of life without Morgan. Matthew Mott is England’s new white-ball head coach, taking over ahead of the series in the Netherlands, and will be charged with managing the transition.
Morgan has enjoyed a decorated international career, first with Ireland and then England since 2009. He is England’s most-capped player in both formats, with 248 ODIs and 115 T20s. He also won 16 Test caps, the last of which came a decade ago.
As well as being an innovative and inspirational captain since 2014, he is also a great batter and has more runs in either white-ball format than any other man.
Alongside former coach Trevor Bayliss, Morgan has transformed the approach of England men’s white-ball cricket, with the impact of their attacking brand filtering down to domestic level and young players queuing up for a place in the side.
