Moeen Ali may have played just two Tests since his retirement, but the England all-rounder won’t be able to play red-ball cricket for much longer.
Moeen Ali has been asked by Ben Stokes to reconsider his Test withdrawal after England’s first-choice spinner Jack Leach was ruled out of Ashes 2023 due to a stress fracture in his back. And the all-rounder finally decided to come out of Test’s retirement to help his team in Ashes.
In two of the first three Tests was played by Moeen, but he has failed to make much of an impact. In the First Test at Edgbaston, he took three wickets before being benched for the Second Test at Lord’s, and he scored 18 and 19. For the third game, Moeen Ali returned to the playing XI, and at number three in the absence of Ollie Pope, he was given the responsibility of batting.
Though the left-handed batsman, however, failed to score big and was dismissed for 21 and 5. With the ball, he failed to take a wicket in the first innings and two wickets in the second.
What did Moeen Ali say?
While Moeen Ali would be keen to help England recapture the Ashes this summer, he is not interested in following his Test career. Speaking ahead of the Ashes’ fourth Test, he was asked if the all-rounder was looking forward to next year’s tour of India, where England will play five Tests. In response, the England star said he is only focusing on the two remaining Ashes Tests.
“Not really, to be honest. I think if I play these two games, it’s about recovering from these two games,” Moeen said. “It’s not easy; I find Test cricket really difficult. It’s definitely the best and most hard format.
“I don’t look too far, I’m sure Baz and Stokesy will probably talk to me after the series or after the summer, but for me right now, it’s just this series. I’m not saying yes, I’m not saying no,” he said.