Think back to March 9, 2015 when the whole England cricket team including its captain Eoin Morgan cut a disconsolate figure at the Adelaide Oval as they were knocked out of the World Cup by Bangladesh. England needed a captain who possessed the tactical nous as a leader to drive their revival from one of the lowest points in their cricketing history. And lo and behold, Morgan answered.
The only England captain to win an ODI World Cup, Dublin-born Morgan has announced to hang up his boots from international cricket. To understand how good of a captain he was, let us take a look at the quantitative analysis of Morgan's captaincy in limited-overs format.
Most ODI And T20I Matches As England Captain
Morgan's first assignment as England's captain came on August 25, 2011 against the country he was born in – Ireland. Since then, he has been entrusted with leadership for 126 ODIs and 72 T20Is. This is the most number of matches any England player has ever played as a skipper in either of these formats.
Third-highest Winning Percentage As T20I Captain
In the 72 T20Is that Morgan led, England won 42 and lost 27 - a winning percentage of 60.56. Among captains, who have led in a minimum of 50 T20Is, only Afghanistan's Asghar Stanikzai and India's Virat Kohli have a better win-loss percentage than Morgan.
Third-Highest Winning Percentage As ODI Captain
In the 126 ODIs that Morgan led, England won 76 and lost 40 - a winning percentage of 65.25. Among captains, who have led in a minimum of 100 ODIs, only Australia's Ricky Ponting and South Africa's Hansie Cronje have a better win-loss percentage than Morgan.
Morgan Did Not Let Captaincy Affect His Batting
Whenever a player is tasked with leading a team, the first question that arises is whether the burden of captaincy will impact his or her performance. However, Morgan’s overall batting numbers suggest he did not let the captaincy affect his batting. As an ODI captain, he scored 4403 runs at an average of 44.03 and a strike rate of 96, including the brilliant 71-ball 148 against Afghanistan in which he also struck 17 sixes. As a T20I captain, he scored 1469 runs at a strike rate of more than 140 including the 41-ball 91 he scored when England posted their highest ever T20I score against New Zealand at Napier in 2019.
There have been many highs and lows in Morgan's captaincy career, ranging from the spectacular World Cup win in 2019 to the group-stage exit in the World Cup 2015. However, it would not be a hyperbole to say that Morgan's captaincy tactics were the driving force behind the revival and rebirth of England's white-ball team after the humiliating exit at the World Cup 2015.
The only England captain to win an ODI World Cup, Dublin-born Morgan has announced to hang up his boots from international cricket. To understand how good of a captain he was, let us take a look at the quantitative analysis of Morgan's captaincy in limited-overs format.
Most ODI And T20I Matches As England Captain
Morgan's first assignment as England's captain came on August 25, 2011 against the country he was born in – Ireland. Since then, he has been entrusted with leadership for 126 ODIs and 72 T20Is. This is the most number of matches any England player has ever played as a skipper in either of these formats.
Third-highest Winning Percentage As T20I Captain
In the 72 T20Is that Morgan led, England won 42 and lost 27 - a winning percentage of 60.56. Among captains, who have led in a minimum of 50 T20Is, only Afghanistan's Asghar Stanikzai and India's Virat Kohli have a better win-loss percentage than Morgan.
Third-Highest Winning Percentage As ODI Captain
In the 126 ODIs that Morgan led, England won 76 and lost 40 - a winning percentage of 65.25. Among captains, who have led in a minimum of 100 ODIs, only Australia's Ricky Ponting and South Africa's Hansie Cronje have a better win-loss percentage than Morgan.
Morgan Did Not Let Captaincy Affect His Batting
Whenever a player is tasked with leading a team, the first question that arises is whether the burden of captaincy will impact his or her performance. However, Morgan’s overall batting numbers suggest he did not let the captaincy affect his batting. As an ODI captain, he scored 4403 runs at an average of 44.03 and a strike rate of 96, including the brilliant 71-ball 148 against Afghanistan in which he also struck 17 sixes. As a T20I captain, he scored 1469 runs at a strike rate of more than 140 including the 41-ball 91 he scored when England posted their highest ever T20I score against New Zealand at Napier in 2019.
There have been many highs and lows in Morgan's captaincy career, ranging from the spectacular World Cup win in 2019 to the group-stage exit in the World Cup 2015. However, it would not be a hyperbole to say that Morgan's captaincy tactics were the driving force behind the revival and rebirth of England's white-ball team after the humiliating exit at the World Cup 2015.