Eoin Morgan

In January 2020, Eoin Morgan was named as the captain for Middlesex’s T20 team for the 2020 Vitality Blast campaign. “I’m delighted to be awarded the T20 Captaincy. The role is one that I have really enjoyed. We’ve got an exciting group of players here at Middlesex, with plenty of talent and a good blend of youth and experience, and I’m really looking forward to helping the club build on the improvements we made in this format last year,” Morgan's statement read upon assuming the captain's role.

As of December 2019, Morgan is the all-time leading run scorer and most capped player for England in ODI matches. He also holds the England record for the fastest fifty in ODIs and during the 2019 ICC World Cup he scored the highest number of sixes in an ODI innings, with 17 sixes against Afghanistan.

In April 2019, he was named as the captain of England's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. In the opening match of the World Cup, against South Africa, Morgan played in his 200th ODI match for England, and scored his 7,000th run in ODIs. On 14 June 2019, in the match against the West Indies, Morgan played in his 300th international match for England.

On 18 June 2019, in the match against Afghanistan at Old Trafford, Morgan scored 148 from 71 balls. His innings included 17 sixes, the most sixes by an individual in an ODI innings; his team scored 25 sixes in total, the most sixes by a team in an ODI innings. Morgan's century came from 57 balls, the fastest by an England batsman in a Cricket World Cup match. On 21 June 2019, in the match against Sri Lanka, Morgan scored his 9,000th international run for England.

On 14 July 2019, led by Morgan, England won the World Cup for the first time, beating New Zealand in the final on boundaries after the match and super over were tied.

As of July 2019, Morgan has appeared in 16 Tests (all for England), 233 One Day Internationals (23 for Ireland, 210 for England) and 81 Twenty20 Internationals (all for England). He has scored 700 runs in Tests, 7348 in ODIs and 1810 in T20Is.

In October 2018, he was named in Tshwane Spartans' squad for the first edition of the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament. In July 2019, he was selected to play for the Dublin Chiefs in the inaugural edition of the Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament. However, the following month the tournament was cancelled. In the 2020 IPL auction, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2020 Indian Premier League.

In March 2018, the ICC named Morgan as the captain of a World XI team to play a one-off T20I fixture against the West Indies at Lord's in May 2018. He had to withdraw from the team because of a broken finger. On 10 June, he captained England when they lost to Scotland by six runs, at The Grange Club in Edinburgh.

On 19 June 2018, during the third match of the home ODI series against Australia, Morgan surpassed the record of Ian Bell as the all-time leading run scorer for England in One Day International matches. In the same match England posted the highest ever ODI total of 481/6, with Morgan breaking another record: that held by Jos Buttler for the fastest ever fifty by an Englishman in ODIs. (21 balls)

In 2017 IPL Auctions, he was bought by Kings XI Punjab for Rs. 2 Crore. He played until 30 April before returning to England for a training camp.

Morgan played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2017 season. He was bought in for US$140,000 in Platinum Category.

In 2015, Eoin Morgan decided to play the Indian Premier League and was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for $150,000. During the tournament he missed the England ODI game against Ireland. He also played 7 games for the Sunrisers in IPL 2016.

After Alastair Cook was removed from the ODI captaincy on 19 December 2014, Morgan was named as the England captain for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, having already captained England in ODIs and T20Is as a stand-in. He is the only England captain to have scored more than 4 ODI centuries. Under his captaincy, England won the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, the first time they had won the tournament.

In 2014, Morgan decided not to enter IPL 2014 due to England playing an ODI series against Sri Lanka at home when IPL took place.

On 19 December 2014, 2 months before the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, it was announced that Cook had been removed as one-day captain due to poor form, and replaced by Eoin Morgan.

He was named in the T20I XI of the year 2014 by Cricbuzz.

An injury to Ian Bell saw Morgan retained for the Test series against Pakistan. In the first Test at Trent Bridge, he scored a century as England won by 354 runs. He was only needed to bat once in the next match, where he made 6 runs as England took a 2–0 lead in the series. In the third match he made scores of 17 and 5, as England won to go 3–0 up in the series. Morgan was out for a duck in his only innings in the final match of the series, but England still won 4–0. In the first ODI he made 13 runs. In the third ODI he made an impressive 61, although England lost the match by 23 runs. In the final match of the series he scored 107 not out to help England win by 121 runs.

England won the three-match series 1–0, with Morgan scoring 168 runs from four innings including two half-centuries. Stuart Broad replaced Collingwood as T20I captain in June, and Morgan was named as vice-captain in the format. England also won the five-match ODI series 3–2, with Morgan scoring 158 runs including another two half-centuries. His performance in the series saw Morgan move up one place in the ICC's ODI rankings to 23rd.

Morgan retained his place when India toured England later that summer for four Tests. In the first three innings Morgan managed just 19 runs, including two ducks however in the second innings of the second Test Morgan partnered Matt Prior as the two scored rapid half-centuries against a struggling Indian bowling attack. England won the match by 319 runs. An injury to Jonathan Trott meant that Ravi Bopara, with whom Morgan had been competing for a place earlier that summer, was called into the side. Whereas Bopara scored just seven runs in the third Test, Morgan scored his second Test century as England amassed 710/7 declared. England won the Test series 4–0 and in the process replaced India as the number 1 ranked Test team in the world. Morgan's 194 runs in the series came at an average of 32.33.

In 2013, Morgan captained the T20I team against India in the absences of Stuart Broad, who was out injured. He only made 5 in the first game but made an unbeaten 49 in the second as England won by 5 wickets to level the series. Morgan was praised for captaincy and many pundits suggested he would lead England on a permanent basis in the future.

Morgan was selected for the One Day series against India at the beginning of 2013. He made 41 from 38 balls in the first match, as England won by 9 runs. He suffered poor form as England lost the next three games, his scores including 10 and a duck. However, he returned to form for the final match of the series where he hit an unbeaten 40 as he guided England to an impressive 7 wicket win. Although England lost the series 3–2, it was seen as an improvement given their recent poor performances in ODIs in India.

In the first T20I match against New Zealand, he helped England set 214 after he smashed 46 off just 26 balls as England won the match by 40 runs. In contrast, he only made 13 from 22 deliveries in the next match as England lost by 55 runs. The series decider was rained off. He started the ODI Series in poor fashion, making just 1 in their opening defeat. He did not bat in the next game as England levelled the series at 1–1. He helped England win the decider, hitting 39 off 24 balls to help set up a 5 wicket win. He made just 6 in the first match of the return series, before making 21 in the second. England lost this game by 86 runs after New Zealand scored 359. He made 28 in the final game as England won by 34 runs. He made seven in the only T20 International, as England lost the one off game by 5 runs.

Morgan had an unproductive start to the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, making a score of 8 against Australia, then 13 against Sri Lanka. With England needing to beat New Zealand to qualify from their group, Morgan made 15 to help England secure a victory. In the semi final against South Africa, he made an unbeaten 15 to help guide England to victory and reach the final against India. He made 33 in the final, which turned out to be a low scoring affair, but could not get England over the line as they finished the tournament as runners up.

He was named as the captain for ODI series against Ireland and Australia. He won the one-off match against Ireland where he scored his career best, an unbeaten 124, along with Ravi Bopara who also scored a maiden century after Ireland scored 269 and English team of was reduced to 48 for 4. He was consistent against the series against Australia where he led by example as captain even though his team lost 2–1 in series. He scored 54, 5 not out, 53 and 30 in ODIs and in T20Is he scored a duck and 20.

He joined up with the England squad in Australia after they had lost the Ashes 5–0, meaning morale was low. In the first ODI, he made 50 off 47 balls, but England went on to lose by 5 wickets. He made a century in the next match, but England were unable to close the game and lost by a single wicket. Morgan made yet another 50 in the third match, but they lost the game to go 3–0 down in the series. He hit 33 in the next match as England won their first game of the tour, but lost again in the final game where Morgan made 39. He did not take his impressive ODI form into the T20I series, where he scored just 10 runs in the first two matches. However, he top scored with 34 in the final match, as England were bowled out for 111 to end a miserable tour.

In the warm up to the T20 World Cup, England embarked on a limited-overs tour of the West Indies. Morgan failed to make a big impact on the T20 series between the two team, making just 19 in the first match as England lost by 27 runs. He made just three as England lost the next match by five wickets. In the final match of the series he made 18 to help England win the match, although they lost the series 2–1.

In the ODI series against Sri Lanka, Morgan made 3 in the first match. He top scored with 40 in the next game as England were bowled out for 99 to allow Sri Lanka to level the series. He was not needed to bat in the third match as England secured a big win to retake the lead in the series. Morgan only made 12 in the next match as Sri Lanka won by seven runs to level the series once more. In the final match of the series he made 17 as England lost the game and the series 3–2.

After the first game against India was rained off, Morgan made 28 in the second match as England lost to go 1–0 down in the series. He made 10 in the next match as India secured another win, this time by six wickets. He made 32 in the next match as England suffered a humiliating nine wicket defeat. The manner of the lead to questions over the personnel in the team, and the pressure increased on captain Alastair Cook. Despite this, England won the final match of the series, although Morgan again failed to make a big score, being dismissed for 14. In the only T20 match between the two sides, Morgan hit 71 from just 31 balls in an innings that included seven sixes. England won the match by three runs and Morgan was named man of the match.

Morgan continued in his role as ODI captain in the five-game series at home against New Zealand. The series began with a dominant performance by England, winning by 210 runs, Morgan contributing 50. The following match was a much more close-run affair, with New Zealand clinching the match by 13 runs (D/L method). Morgan performed strongly with the bat and scoring 88 off only 47 balls. New Zealand were victorious again in the third match, winning by 3 wickets with an over remaining. Morgan scored 71 in England's innings. In the fourth ODI, Morgan scored 113 from 82 balls, which helped England win the match by 7 wickets, a performance which earned him the Man of the Match award. In the final match of the series he was out for a duck, but England went on to win the game and the series 3–2. In the one off T20 match between the two sides, Morgan made 4 as England went on to win the game.

Morgan recovered from his shoulder injury to participate in England's series against Pakistan in the UAE from January to February 2012. England lost the Test series 3–0 with their batsmen struggling to cope against Pakistan's spin bowlers. Morgan made scores of 24 and 14 in the first Test. It was in the second Test where he came under increased pressure, scoring just 3 runs in the entire match after being dismissed for a duck in the second innings. His top score of the series came in his final innings of the tour, where he made 31. Morgan, Pietersen, and Bell played in all three matches and each scored fewer than 90 runs in the series. Coach Andy Flower commented that Morgan had struggled during the tour of the UAE, and the batsman was dropped from England's Test squad to tour Sri Lanka in March.

Morgan was not initially named in England's squad for the 2011 World Cup as he was suffering from a fractured finger, but was later called up following an injury to Kevin Pietersen. On 11 March 2011 he made his World Cup debut for England, scoring 63 runs in the defeat to Bangladesh, making him only the fourth player to have represented two different nations at the Cricket World Cup. He made 7 in the next match against the West Indies as England qualified for the Quarter Finals. However, they lost to Sri Lanka by ten wickets, although Morgan made 50 off 66 balls.

Morgan took part in the 2010 Indian Premier League (IPL). In the preceding player auction, he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a sum of $220,000. However, he was frequently in and out of the side and was not given much opportunity. Morgan was purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders for $350,000 at the 2011 IPL auctions for the next 3 years.

In 2010 Morgan told the Sunday Times that "From the age of 13, I wanted to play cricket for England. I’ve never felt any shame in saying this is what I wanted to do. And the people at home involved in cricket, they were like, 'Fair play, it’s going to be unbelievable if you make it'. So I’ve never had any shame about this and my father’s never had any shame about it." He has subsequently stated that his mother is English, and that he has held a British passport since birth. At the time, England was one of the ten full members of the International Cricket Council, while Ireland was an associate member; only full member nations can play a full schedule of international cricket, including Test matches. Ireland were subsequently admitted as full members in 2017.

He was an important part of England's Twenty20 team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies. He top-scored in England's group games against the West Indies and his native Ireland, as well as the Super Eights game against New Zealand. Due to effective team bowling and half-centuries from Kevin Pietersen and Craig Kieswetter, he was hardly needed in the semi-final against Sri Lanka and final against Australia, finishing not-out in both matches.

On the back of his one-day success, he was then included in England's Test squad for the home series against Bangladesh. With Paul Collingwood rested, he made his debut in the first Test at Lord's on 27 May 2010. He scored 44 runs in the first innings but was not required in the second innings as England won by eight wickets after making Bangladesh follow-on. In the second Test, he scored 37 runs as England won by an innings and 80 runs.

After touring with the England Lions over the winter, it was announced in April 2009 that Morgan was in England's 30-man provisional squad for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20. This meant that he could not play for Ireland, who were also participating in the tournament. While disappointed to be denied Morgan's batting, Irish cricket team manager Roy Torrens said "[Morgan's] made no secret of that fact [wanting to play Test cricket]. So you know, it's not totally unexpected to us. We realise this is always going to be a problem with our better players playing in England".

Morgan's progression towards representing the senior England side continued when in May 2009 he was named in England's 14-man squad to face West Indies in a three-match ODI series and the 15-man squad for the World Twenty20. Morgan made his England debut in the second One Day International (after the first was abandoned due to rain), and also played in the third of the series. Morgan was not given much of a chance to impress with the bat, due to not coming in to bat until late in the innings, making scores of 2 and 6 not out, but was praised for his athletic fielding.

In the first game of the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy, Morgan led England to an unexpected victory over much fancied Sri Lanka. He hit an unbeaten 62, and was well supported by Middlesex colleague Owais Shah. Morgan kept wicket for the first time in his professional career in the next match against South Africa, after regular wicket-keeper Matt Prior was struck down by illness. Morgan scored 67 runs from just 34 balls in England's innings.

Morgan scored his maiden first-class century for Middlesex on 5 July 2008 at Uxbridge. This was compiled from 250 balls. He achieved this against the touring South Africans before their Test series against England; the innings included three sixes off spinner Paul Harris. Morgan was part of Middlesex's victorious Twenty20 Cup winning side in 2008. He underlined his growing maturity after leading Middlesex to victory in the County Championship against Kent.

In May 2007, Morgan was named as one of England's twelfth men for the Lord's Test versus West Indies, and came on for Matthew Hoggard on the third day. On 16 August 2008, Morgan represented the England Lions in a list A match against the touring South Africans. He scored 47* in an unbeaten partnership of 113 with Samit Patel in the course of England Lions securing a six wicket victory. Morgan was part of the England Performance Programme squad in India in the winter of 2008, although no matches were played as the tour was cancelled after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Morgan was also part of the England Lions for the winter tour of New Zealand.

Morgan was the first cricketer to score a first-class double century for Ireland, with an unbeaten 209 against the United Arab Emirates in February 2007 at Abu Dhabi. In February 2007, Morgan was named in Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Although Ireland performed well in the tournament, Morgan struggled personally, scoring just 91 runs from nine innings. In all, Morgan played in 23 ODIs for Ireland, scoring 744 runs at an average of 35.42.

Morgan made his One Day International debut for Ireland on 5 August 2006 at the European Championships against Scotland. He fell one run short of a century, scoring 99 before he was run out. It was the first time in ODI history that a player had been dismissed for 99 on debut. Only two other batsmen passed 20 as Ireland beat Scotland by 85 runs. His maiden ODI hundred came not long after, on 4 February 2007 against Canada in Nairobi. At the time he was the youngest ever non-subcontinental player to make a century in ODI cricket, a record subsequently beaten by two other players.

During this time he also briefly attended Dulwich College in south London to further his cricketing education and it was here that his ambition to play for England began. He represented Ireland's youth teams and was capped at Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 level, eventually he became Ireland's youngest senior international. He spent a number of summer spells with Middlesex's under-age setup. He was selected in the Irish under-19 squad for the 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, and was Ireland's top run-scorer in the competition. Two years later, he captained Ireland in the 2006 Under-19 World Cup where he finished as the second-highest overall run-scorer. He has also played for Finchley CC. He is the leading runscorer in U19 Cricket World Cup history with an aggregate of 606 runs.

Eoin Joseph Gerard Morgan CBE (born 10 September 1986) is an Irish-born cricketer who captains the England cricket team in limited overs cricket. A left-handed batsman, he plays county cricket for Middlesex and has played for England's Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20I) teams. He previously played for the Ireland cricket team in ODIs, and was the first player to score an ODI hundred for two nations. His ability to hit boundaries at the end of innings sees him labelled as a "finisher"; he is also among the most skilful exponents of the reverse sweep shot.