Morgan was appointed captain in 2014, overseeing the fundamental changes in England’s approach after the 2015 World Cup and freeing players to play much more aggressively. But he repeatedly says he doesn’t want to play when it’s no longer worth choosing as a batter.
“If you don’t think you’re good enough, or if you don’t feel like contributing to the team, you’re done,” he said before the series with the Netherlands. In 28 innings from July 1st last year, Morgan collected only 373 runs in 17 innings.
After 13 years of international cricket with England, and three years earlier for his native Ireland, Morgan’s health has become another concern in recent months. He was injured in a series of England Twenty20 games in the Caribbean in January and stopped playing middlesex games in a row. “It will take longer to recover,” Morgan said last month. “I think I’m just old.”
The next Twenty20 World Cup will take place in Australia in October, and many predicted it would be Morgan’s final tournament with England. But worried about his growing shape, Morgan was able to announce his departure shortly thereafter. And it allowed England to use the Limited Overseries with India and South Africa this month to develop a team without him.
Moen is another strong candidate, as he likes to be taken over by Butler, who replaced Morgan in the last ODI in the Netherlands.