The man who led the England cricket team to win the first ODI World Cup in 2019 has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.The most recent SA20 League semifinal with the Paarl Royals was Morgan’s last game. In the tournament, the left-hander scored 128 runs at a strike rate of 145.45, with a best of 64 across six innings.Following a 16-year career that started in Ireland before moving to England, Morgan retired from international cricket in July of last year. After that, he kept playing in numerous international franchise leagues all around the world.Talking about his retirement,
Morgan said, “It is with great pride that I am announcing my retirement from all forms of cricket. “After much deliberation, I believe that now is the right time to step away from the game that has given me so much over the years.””I also must thank all my teammates, coaches, fans, and those behind the scenes who not only made me the player I became but have also made me the man I am today. Thanks to cricket, I have been able to travel the world and meet incredible people, many of whom I have developed lifelong friendships. Playing for franchise teams across the globe has given me so many memories that I will hold onto forever.””Since my retirement from international cricket, I have been able to spend more time with my loved ones, and I look forward to being able to do so more and more in the future. Having said that, I will undoubtedly miss the adventure and challenges of playing professional cricket.””Although I am calling time on my playing career, I will still be involved in the game, working alongside broadcasters at international and franchise tournaments as a commentator and pundit.
I am sincerely looking forward to what the future holds.”In a professional career that began in 2006, Morgan scored 5,042 runs in first-class cricket, 11,654 in List A, and 7,780 in T20s. One of England’s all-time greats with the white ball, Morgan continues to lead the country in runs scored with 6957 in 225 ODIs and 13 hundred. He is also the most successful ODI skipper with 76 wins out of 126 games he captained.In terms of T20Is, he scored 2458 runs overall in 115 games at a strike rate of 136.18 with 14 fifty-plus scores.
Morgan helped the team to a runners-up position in the 2016 tournament in India after playing a key role in England’s maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup victory in the West Indies in 2010. From 72 games, he led England to 42 victories in T20Is.
