"It is a shame; strange to comprehend the side without him" - Moeen Ali reacts to Eoin Morgan's imminent retirement
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has lauded Eoin Morgan for his contributions to the country in white-ball cricket in light of reports suggesting that the latter will announce his international retirement soon.
Speaking to BBC, Moeen stated that although he isn't surprised by the development, 'it is a shame'. He argued that Morgan, who has seen a massive dip in his batting form in the last few months, has made a selfless call for the benefit of the team.
Moeen said:
"He's done a remarkable job. It is a shame. It is strange to comprehend the side without him. Things move on and you have to get used to it but it is sad. I'm not surprised at the same time because he is a very selfless person and probably is thinking about the team more than anything."
Jos Buttler is likely to be named as Morgan's successor. Moeen, who has also led the side in a few white-ball matches in Morgan's absence, said the latter would have considered the team's future before making the decision. The off-spinner explained:
"We've been so strong over the years and he probably feels like his time is done and that he's given enough time for Jos, or whoever the captain is going to be, to embed his way."
Morgan is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday. He will retire as England's greatest white-ball captain, having led them to their first World Cup triumph in 2019 and the top of the ODI and T20I rankings.
People have the image of an out of form Morgan for quite a while now but often forget what a beast he was post the 2015 debacle and in that period to the 2019 world cup. He had consistently good performances in a very tricky role in ODIs and a quality world cup campaign too
Morgan is also the leading run-scorer for England in both white-ball formats. However, he had been far from his best of late, managing just one half-century in the last 26 innings for England. The 35-year-old has also been struggling with fitness issues.
"We'd never come across a captain like that before" - Moeen Ali on Eoin Morgan's revolutionary ideas
Moeen Ali is live on TMS reacting to the news that Eoin Morgan is set to retire from international cricket.
Listen on @BBCSounds, @5livesport Extra or here: bbc.in/3ynhaPG
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Morgan, who took charge in T20Is in 2012 and ODIs in 2014, will be remembered for leading from the front in the country's white-ball revolution while promoting an exciting aggressive brand of cricket. Moeen gave an insight into Morgan's approach with players and called it a massive achievement. He said:
"To change the mindset of a whole country and the way they play their cricket is a massive achievement - it is so difficult to do. To then be a very good captain on top of that, tactically on the field and to look after the players... There were so many times where people were caught on the boundary and they were like, 'I should have just hit a single,' and he was like, 'No, no, next time you hit it out of the ground.' We'd never come across a captain like that before."
England will go head-to-head with Rohit Sharma's India in a 3- match T20I series, which starts on July 7.