Eoin Morgan says the end of his career in England “hit” him during the series against the Netherlands earlier this month, after the captain who won the World Cup confirmed his international retirement.
Under Morgan, England won the World Cup in 2019 and reached the top of the rankings in one day and Twenty20.
In the Netherlands, he made two ducks before missing the final one-day international match with a groin injury.
“The day he hit me was a pretty sad day,” said the 35-year-old.
“I’ve committed to a lot of former players about how they stopped, when and how the transition worked, and everyone said there was a time and place where it hit you,” Morgan added.
“And the other common answer was that you would wake up and understand. This moment came for me in Amsterdam.
“Since then, I’ve been incredibly proud and happy with the decision and I’m excited about English cricket going forward.”
Joss Butler, who led England in nine ODIs and five T20s when Morgan was absent due to injury, is expected to take on the role, with the announcement scheduled for later this week.
England face India in a three-match T20 series starting on July 7 and the T20 World Cup in Australia starting in October.
Morgan took over the leadership of the T20 team in 2012 and the one-day team in 2014, and was also part of the team that won the 2010 World Cup.
He is the leading scorer in England in one-day and T20 cricket with 6,957 and 2,458 runs, respectively.
Morgan’s 225 ODI and 115 T20 are also a record for England, but his two ducks against the Netherlands came at the end of a half-century series in 26 innings with white balls.
He added: “Using time for what was without a doubt the most enjoyable and rewarding chapter of my career was not an easy decision, but I believe now is the right time to do it, both for me personally and for me. the two England teams with white balls I brought to this point.
“This is the culmination of many things that I have just come to an end in the course of my long international career.
“I’m glad I was in a good enough space to understand this feeling and be aware of what it means and what it means for both the English white ball teams and for me in my personal life.”
“Brilliant captain, brilliant man, brilliant batsman” Ali by Morgan
Morgan said he would “continue to enjoy the game at home for as long as I can” and still plans to captain London Spirit in the second season of The Hundred in August.
Asked about possible participation in England’s coaching training, he added: “Right now the best thing for the setup is for me to get out of it and let a new captain get on his feet and build a relationship with a new coach and eventually drive to the next world championships.
“I certainly haven’t ruled out coaching.”
After watching England’s miserable campaign at the 2015 World Cup, when they were knocked out in the group stages, Morgan took a new, offensive approach that helped his team break the record for the highest overall score in one day three times.
Rob Key, managing director of English men’s cricket, said: “It would be wrong to think that Eoin’s legacy is just to win the World Cup in 2019 – it is much bigger than that.
“As with all great players and leaders, he has changed the way the game is played and changed the way a whole generation and generations to come will play this form of play. His legacy in the game will be felt for many years to come.
“He is without a doubt the best leader I have ever seen.”
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