Eoin Morgan      

After England's stormy and miserable Ashes winter, 2014 looked like being the most important year yet of Eoin Morgan's cricket career. Although well established as a vital member of the ODI and T20 sides, the Dubliner had much to do to force his way back into the Test team but he signaled his intent through turning his back on the Indian Premier League. That decision, while costly in immediate financial terms, meant Morgan would be available to Middlesex for the start of the Championship season and therefore in position to push for the England Test place unwillingly vacated by the no longer wanted Kevin Pietersen.

As a left-hander who quickly built a reputation for inventive and audacious strokeplay, Morgan also possessed the patience and power of shot to be a natural "finisher" in limited-overs cricket - a role England have struggled to fill for a decade.

At the age of 23, he shot to prominence on the back of two match-winning innings against South Africa. First was a 34-ball 67 in the Champions Trophy in September 2009 which he followed two months later with an unbeaten 45-ball 85 in the opening Twenty20 of England's tour of South Africa. His bold approach and crisp hitting was reminiscent of the arrival of another English import, Kevin Pietersen, in 2005.

Morgan grew up playing hurling and with his sweeps and pulls, he has clearly taken aspects of the Irish sport into his cricket. He gained initial recognition with Ireland, averaging 52.20 in the World Cricket League, including his first ODI century, a sublime 115 from 106 balls against Canada. In the 2007 World Cup, as his team-mates impressed, Morgan disappointed with 91 runs from nine games. He joined his fellow Anglo-Irishman, Ed Joyce, at Middlesex in 2006, where he helped them to the Twenty20 Cup victory in 2008 and caught the eye of the England selectors.

His growing stature was confirmed when he was the only England player to be awarded a new contract at the auction for the third season of the IPL in January 2010. He was signed for $220,000 by Bangalore, where he joined England team-mate Kevin Pietersen. With much expected he failed to make an impression and was soon left on the substitutes bench. But he returned to his best for England in the World Twenty20 that followed, as his powerful shot-making and coolness under pressure helped him to 183 runs and helped England to their first triumph in global limited-overs events.

It was enough to prove he had the mettle to take his game a step higher and despite a modest first-class record he was rewarded with a surprise call-up to the Test side for England's first Test of the 2010 summer, against Bangladesh. Walking out to bat at 258 for 4, he could not have asked for a gentler introduction and showed enough confidence to pick up his first Test boundary with a reverse-sweep. With the retirement of Paul Collingwood, a permanent space opened up in England's Test side.

Morgan pipped Ravi Bopara for selection for the first Test of the English summer in 2011, despite playing in the IPL while Bopara grafted in the County Championship. His preparation proved no hindrance as Morgan made 362 runs in 10 innings against Sri Lanka and India. But a disastrous tour of the UAE followed, with just 180 runs at 16.36 across three Tests, four ODIs and three T20s against Pakistan and he was dropped from England's touring party to Sri Lanka in March 2012.

He retained his place in the England one-day side but could hardly get a knock as England hammered Australia 4-0. Against South Africa later that summer he made a modest 136 runs in four innings and the lean spell continued as Morgan's problem of playing spin resurfaced after Christmas in India. Morgan made only 94 runs in five innings but at least fired a winning last-ball six to tie the T20 series.

He made no impression on the three-match ODI series in New Zealand and again played in the IPL, meaning he again came into an English summer underprepared. He looked out of form against New Zealand (76 runs at 25.33) and in the Champions Trophy (84 runs at 21.00) - where he broke a thumb which ruled him out for several weeks. But he returned to form in the winter and was named vice-captain for the West Indies tour ahead of the World T20.
ESPNcricinfo staff