Eoin Morgan announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, prompting tributes from all across the world. Morgan hung up his boots after leading England to the World Cup title in 2019.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali praised Morgan, calling him the country’s “best white-ball captain ever.”
Moeen, who has played under Morgan’s and former India captain MS Dhoni’s command, compared the leadership styles of both players, stating there isn’t much difference in their approach.
“I have played under him (Morgan). I have played under MS Dhoni as well. There is not much difference between both of them in terms of the characteristics – very calm, very loyal to their players. Brilliant captain, brilliant player,” Moeen, who plays for the Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in IPL, said during an interaction on Sports Tak.
“He (Morgan) has almost taken England from the dark days to very good days. We were horrendous in white-ball cricket before that and he changed the mindset of the players. Actually, the way England are playing in Test cricket is because of him. He showed that if you have the mindset, you can play fearless cricket, which we are playing now. He is the greatest white-ball captain we’ve ever had,” added Mooen.
Morgan is largely recognised with bringing about a significant transformation in the way England played white-ball cricket. Under his captaincy, England won the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and advanced to the finals of the 2016 T20 World Cup.
The team also advanced to the semi-finals of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2021 T20 World Cup. The now 35-year-old made his ODI debut for Ireland in 2006, while his T20 debut came four years later, in 2009, while playing for England.
Morgan, who began his international career with Ireland, has 225 ODIs and 115 T20Is for England, a record for the Three Lions.
He has scored 7,701 runs in 248 One-Day Internationals at an average of 39.29, with 14 centuries and 47 fifties. He has also scored 2,458 runs in 115 Twenty20 Internationals.
Morgan’s Test statistics are a touch unimpressive, as he was sidelined after accumulating 700 runs at an average of 30.43 in 16 Tests.
