England’s Moeen Ali Announces Retirement from Test Cricket
On September 27, Moeen Ali announced his decision to quit Test cricket. The 34-year-old all-rounder, who began his Test career in 2014, has featured for England in 64 Test matches in which he has taken 195 wickets and scored five hundreds. Ali made the announcement ahead of the Ashes series in Australia due to begin on December 8.
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Moeen Addresses Media
Addressing the media on the matter, Moeen said,
“I’m 34 now and I want to play for as long as I can and I just want to enjoy my cricket. Test cricket is amazing, when you’re having a good day it’s better than any other format by far, it’s more rewarding and you feel like you’ve really earned it.”
“I will miss just walking out there with the lads, playing against best in the world with that feeling of nerves but also from a bowling point of view, knowing with my best ball I could get anyone out. I’ve enjoyed Test Cricket but that intensity can be too much sometimes and I feel like I’ve done enough of it and I’m happy and content with how I’ve done.”
| Moeen Ali Test Career Stats | |
| Test debut | June 12, 2014, England vs Sri Lanka |
| Last match | September 2, 2021, England vs India |
| Number of tests | 64 |
| Runs | 2914 |
| Batting Average | 28.29 |
| centuries | 5 |
| Fifties | 14 |
| Highest Score | 155 not out |
| Wickets | 195 |
| Bowling average | 36.66 |
| 5 wicket hauls | 5 |
| 10 wicket hauls | 1 |
Seeks to prolong his White-Ball Career
Seeks to prolong his White-Ball Career
icket-takers during his tenure, third only to Anderson and Broad in the England team. He had his best phase as a spinner between 2017 and 2019. During that period, he grabbed 26 wickets versus South Africa and a hat trick at the Oval in 2017.Moeen will continue to feature in the shorter formats of cricket. He is currently involved in the Indian Premier League where he represents the Chennai Super Kings franchise led by MS Dhoni. Both England skipper Joe Root and England head coach Chris Silverstone have been informed by Moeen of his decision to retire from Tests. Ali has also informed Root and Silverstone of his intention to continue playing franchise and county cricket in a bid to prolong his white-ball career. The ECB has included Ali in the England squad for the T20 World Cup beginning in the UAE on October 18.
Grateful for Support from Family and CoachesGrateful for Support from Family and Coaches
ngest format of the game, Ali expressed his gratefulness to his family and coaches for supporting him in his journey.
“I have to thank Peter Moores and Chris Silverwood for being my coaches and Peter for giving me my debut. Cookie and Rooty as the captains who I’ve enjoyed playing under and I hope they are happy with how I played. My parents are my number one, I feel without their support there is no way I would have made it, every game I played was for them and I know they are really proud of me.”
“My brothers and my sister, on my bad days they’ve been the first to pick me up and my wife and kids, my wife’s sacrifices and the patience she has, I am really grateful for that. They have all been amazing on my journey, everything I did I did for them.”
“I have to thank Peter Moores and Chris Silverwood for being my coaches and Peter for giving me my debut. Cookie and Rooty as the captains who I’ve enjoyed playing under and I hope they are happy with how I played. My parents are my number one, I feel without their support there is no way I would have made it, every game I played was for them and I know they are really proud of me.”
“My brothers and my sister, on my bad days they’ve been the first to pick me up and my wife and kids, my wife’s sacrifices and the patience she has, I am really grateful for that. They have all been amazing on my journey, everything I did I did for them.”