Eoin Morgan's five greatest knocks as captain

Eoin Morgan, one of English cricket’s great disruptors, bid adieu to international cricket after a glittering career with England. The former England captain revolutionized English cricket post the 2015 ODI World Cup as he galvanized his limited-overs team on an all-out attack strategy, a move that paid great dividends for the country as he led the team to their first-ever World Cup title in 2019.

Morgan not only led the team from the front on the pitch but also copped blows from the media and critics whenever his side underperformed, but he never budged from his philosophy to play an attractive and entertaining brand of cricket.

The explosive batter was remarked as a great captain and an influential figure in the dressing room, but the southpaw’s batting abilities often took the peripheral position. The left-hand batter finished his career as England’s highest run-getter in ODIs with 6957 runs to his name, averaging 39.75. He also made the most appearances for England in the shortest format of the game and is the leading run-scorer in the format with 2458 runs.

Here’s a look at some of his greatest knocks as English skipper:

57* against South Africa, 2020

England took on South Africa in the third T20I match of the series at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The hosts batted first in the match and registered a mammoth score of 222 runs on the board in their 20 overs on the back of Heinrich Klaasen’s half-century.

England’s chase was off to a poor start as they lost Jason Roy early in the innings, but the pair of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow counter-attacked with quickfire half-centuries. England were in a great position to chase the Protean total, but wickets of Buttler, Bairstow and Dawid Malan in quick succession rocked their innings.

Skipper Eoin Morgan then came out all guns blazing as he scored a belligerent 57* off just 22 deliveries to bring England to victory along with Moeen Ali, and with a useful contribution from Ben Stokes as well at the end. England got past the finishing line with five balls to spare. The England skipper was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliant innings.

66 against Pakistan, 2020

England hosted Pakistan in the second T20I at Old Trafford after the series opener was called off due to rain. Morgan won the toss and elected to field first as Pakistan finished with an excellent total of 195 on the board, thanks to half-centuries from Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez.

England made a great start in reply to the visitor’s score on the back of Jonny Bairstow’s rapid 44 off 24 deliveries. But the hosts lost both the openers on consecutive deliveries and were in a spot of bother after the powerplay. That is when skipper Morgan and Dawid Malan joined hands to put the result beyond any doubt for the home side.

The duo stitched a 112-run partnership for the third wicket that saw both batters register their respective fifties. Morgan fell for a score of 66 off 33 deliveries as England neared victory. The southpaw was handed the Player of the Match trophy as England won the match with five wickets and five balls to spare.

92 against Australia, 2015

Australia clashed against England in the fourth ODI of the five-match series with the hope of clinching the series as they were leading the series 2-1. The Aussies won the toss and elected to bat first on an inviting pitch at Leeds. The Men in Yellow posted an above-par total of 299 thanks to a late onslaught by Matthew Wade and John Hastings.

The host’s chase was off to a rocky start as opener Alex Hales was dismissed for a duck in the second over of the innings. All the other English batters got starts but none of them converted them into big innings apart from the skipper, who scored a run-a-ball 92 to facilitate a smooth chase alongside Ben Stokes.

After Morgan’s dismissal, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali joined hands to put England in the driver’s seat. England drew level in the series after winning the match by three wickets and 10 balls to spare. The England skipper was named Player of the Match for his heroics in the match.

121 against Australia, 2015

Australia welcomed England and India for the 2014-2015 Tri-Series and squared against England in the opening game at the Sydney Cricket Ground. England won the toss and decided to bat first, but their innings was off to an inauspicious start as they lost Ian Bell and James Taylor in the very first over without even opening their accounts.

The visitors were reduced to 69/5 as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals. Morgan waged a lone battle with the bat in hand and stitched important partnerships with the lower-order batters as England crept to a score of 234.

Morgan played an excellent captain’s knock as he scored more than half of the English total with 121 runs to his name in that innings. Unfortunately for the southpaw, the total didn’t pose much of a threat to the Aussie batters as they breached the score with a little more than ten overs to spare on the back of a sensational ton by David Warner.

148 against Afghanistan, 2019

England were up against Afghanistan in the 24th match of the 2019 ICC World Cup at Old Trafford. England’s Eoin Morgan won the toss and elected to bat first on a batting paradise. Afghanistan went into the game as massive underdogs, whereas the hosts were one of the favorites to win the tournament.

England asserted their dominance on Afghani bowlers as their batters scored at a brisk pace. England were destined to set Afghanistan a total in excess of 300 runs that was until Morgan walked onto the pitch. The southpaw was in a menacing mood on the day as he plundered his way to an explosive century of just 57 deliveries, the fastest-ever by an Englishman in World Cup history.

The southpaw was dismissed for 148 runs off just 71 deliveries as the crowd rose to their feet to acknowledge his innings, which consisted of 17 sixes, a world record in ODI cricket. England posted a near-impossible target of 398 runs for the Afghanistan team, and it proved to be the case after the end of the match as England won by a whopping 150 runs. The English skipper grabbed the Player-of-the-Match trophy for his record-breaking innings.