From making his international debut for Ireland in 2006 to earning his 100th T20I cap for England, it has been an incredible journey for Eoin Morgan.
In the third T20I here on Tuesday, Morgan became the first England men’s player and fourth in history — after Shoaib Malik, Rohit Sharma and Ross Taylor — to play in 100 T20Is. Morgan has donned the role of captain in 57 outings, and under his leadership, England has reached the top of the ICC world team rankings.
And of course, Morgan was central to England’s most famous limited-overs triumph — at the 2019 ICC 50-over World Cup. With the bat, the Dublin-born southpaw can pull off the unorthodox reverse-sweeps and classic drives with equal ease. The 34-year-old is the crown jewel in England’s white-ball set-up.
Emotions ran high before play began on Tuesday, when teammate Jos Buttler spoke a few words and presented a special cap to his captain. “The words that he (Buttler) said did warm my heart. It meant a huge amount to me,” Morgan told the host broadcaster.
Buttler was effusive in his praise for Morgan, describing him as a ‘pioneer’. “Morgan has been a pioneer for England’s white-ball cricket. He has always been ahead of the curve, alongside Kevin Pietersen. They were two guys I always looked to in white-balls teams who could do it a bit differently, take the game forward and be ahead of the curve.
Selfless
“As a leader, Morgan has taken English white-ball cricket to a place it has never been before. We all enjoy playing for him, in the environment he has created. He’s a selfless guy, but I reminded him that today really was about him and it’s no mean feat to get 100 caps,” Buttler said in a media interaction.
