Eoin Morgan hints at coaching comeback ahead of England's World Cup defence

02 October 2023 , 07:00

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Eoin Morgan won the Cricket World Cup with England four years ago (Image: Getty Images)

Former England captain Eoin Morgan hasn't ruled out a move into coaching - but wants to continue working in the media for now.

Morgan retired from cricket in February to start his broadcasting career. The 37-year-old, who won the T20 World Cup in 2010 and captained England to their first ever one-day international (ODI) World Cup in 2019, is now working as an analyst for Sky Sports.

Morgan is viewed as the main architect of England's recent success in white-ball cricket, with his successor Jos Buttler leading the country to T20 World Cup glory last year. Many fans would love to see the ex-batter join England's backroom staff in the future.

Yet Morgan is concentrating on his media commitments for now. He will be part of Sky Sports' coverage of the upcoming ODI World Cup, which starts in India next week. "I'm absolutely loving what I'm doing at the moment," Morgan tells Mirror Sport.

"I only retired from international cricket last year and domestic cricket this year. For me, it's (about) spending more time at home, which broadcasting allows me to do. But maybe down the line (I'll move into coaching). I certainly haven't ruled coaching out at all, so I definitely would consider it when the time comes."

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Remarkably, this year's World Cup will be the first Morgan hasn't appeared in for 20 years. The Dublin-born star played for Ireland in 2007 and England in 2011 before captaining the latter nation in 2015 and 2019. But does Morgan miss the feeling of playing in a World Cup?

Morgan is now an analyst for Sky Sports (Getty Images)

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"No, not at all... every day since I've stopped playing, I couldn't think of anything worse than going out and playing in a game. It just emphasises how spent I was when I was finished. It's a completely different experience as well (being a pundit)."

Morgan highlighted the "joy" of winning two World Cups but also how much he loved watching England win last year's T20 comp. Buttler's side defeated Pakistan in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), with Ben Stokes hitting the winning runs.

"Sitting back and watching in Australia last year was just amazing - because of all these emotions you could ride and not have to deal with because you don't have to perform... I'm probably more excited about going in as a non-player than going in as a player."

England take on New Zealand, the team they defeated in the 2019 final, in their World Cup opener on Thursday. Despite India being hosts, it is the first match of the tournament and will take place at the 134,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Tom Blow