Irish Examiner view: Retired cricket maestro Morgan still has plenty to give

Eoin Morgan celebrates an England win at the ICC World Cup Final at Lord's in 2019. Picture: Nick Potts/PA

Who are Ireland’s leading sporting icons at the moment? Katie Taylor? For sure. Ronan O’Gara following the stunning 24-21 victory over Leinster in the Champions Cup Final in May? Without a doubt. Conor McGregor? Not the following he once had. Rory McIlroy? Still one of the greatest and to be admired for his stand against the blandishments of LIV Golf.

Outside of the island of Ireland, and even within it, you would get plenty of takers for the now retired England cricket white ball captain Eoin Morgan from Dublin.

Morgan, 35, was brought up in Rush and educated at the Catholic University School in Leeson Street. He played hurling as a teenager and credits it with providing the skills for him to master the reverse sweep, one of his signature shots.

Morgan was capped for Ireland at U13, U15 and U17 level before becoming this country’s youngest-ever senior international. He played for Ireland 63 times between 2003-2009, scoring 2,075 runs at an average of 37.05 across formats.

But it was in the English professional game that Morgan delivered his greatest achievements. In 356 games across all formats, Morgan departs having won two World Cups, and as England’s record appearance maker in Twenty20 and ODI formats. He is scorer in each format of the most runs and of the most sixes.

More than this, his inspirational captaincy, tough demeanour and razor-sharp brain inspired a revolution that turned the country’s limited-over side into world beaters and whose bravura approach is now being replicated by Ben Stokes for the Test side.

The new England coach, Brendon McCullum, said: “He’s a tremendous leader, a fine human being.” He is simply the best Irish cricketer ever, highly rated and recognised across the globe from the MCG, in Australia, to Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, to Kensington Oval, in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Now he has started a two-year masters in strategy and governance which he hopes will help him find a seat on a board somewhere. English contemporaries proclaim him “the best leader” they have ever known.

Corporations will be lining up for his services.