Eoin Morgan is set to announce his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, thus bringing to an end an illustrious career in which he is crediting with having changed the course of English cricket, particularly in limited overs.Former England captain Nasser Hussain has said that among the many changes that Morgan brought was that he got his players, particularly the big hitters in the team, to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"He was also ahead of his time, along with Kevin Pietersen, in realising the value to English cricket of the IPL. First, he helped make better players of the likes of Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone. Then he encouraged them to play in the IPL, where they learned to be even better," said Hussain in his column for DailyMail."As an on-field captain, he was cool, calm and calculated. He was icy-cold. Like all the best leaders, he had a presence. And the one time he didn't get things right, he learned from it. So when it came to Jofra Archer’s super over against New Zealand at Lord’s in the 50-over final in 2019, Morgan made sure he spoke to his bowler after he began with a tight wide."Wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, who has been in red-hot form in white ball cricket of late, is expected to replace Morgan as captain."Buttler is the perfect replacement. He and Morgan are close friends, and he’s stepped in the Morgan way of doing things. He'll have no problem in replicating his style of play. And there's no greater compliment than that," said Hussain.
The 35-year-old left-handed batter made his international debut for Ireland in 2006 and later switched his allegiance to England in 2009. He replaced Alastair Cook as white-ball captain at the end of the year 2014 and has been an influential figure in English cricket since then. He guided the Three Lions to the T20 World Cup 2016 final and ODI World Cup 2019 triumph. However, he has been struggling with fitness and injury issues lately and most importantly with his form since the start of 2021.Morgan recently led England in a three-match ODI series against Netherlands, which the Englishmen clinched 3-0. However, he was dismissed for ducks in the first two matches and a groin injury ruled him out of the last match.