Moeen Ali, who last played for England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, has announced his retirement from the international game. Moeen believed that the time was right for him after understanding that he was no longer in consideration for the side’s future assignments.
“I’m 37 years old and didn’t get picked for this month’s Australia series,” Moeen Ali said in an interview with former England captain Nasser Hussain in the Daily Mail. “I’ve played a lot of cricket for England. It’s time for the next generation, which was also explained to me. It felt the time was right. I’ve done my part.”
“I’m very proud. When you first play for England, you don’t know how many games you’re going to play. So to play nearly 300… My first few years were all about Test cricket. Once Morgs (Eoin Morgan) took over the one-day stuff, that was more fun. But Test cricket was the proper cricket,” he said.
Moeen began his international white-ball journey during England’s 2014 tour of the West Indies. Throughout his decade-long career, he amassed an impressive 138 ODI and 92 T20I appearances for his country.
His Test debut came at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground against Sri Lanka, marking the start of his 68-match Test career.
“Even now, I’ve tried to be realistic. I could hold on and try to play for England again, but I know in reality I won’t. Even retiring, I don’t feel it’s because I’m not good enough — I still feel I can play. But I get how things are, and the team needs to evolve into another cycle. It’s about being real to myself.
“People forget the impact you make in games. It might only have been 20 or 30, but it was a crucial 20 or 30. For me, it was about making an impact. I know what I brought to the side, on and off the field. As long as I felt people enjoyed watching me play, whether or not I did well, I was happy with that,” he further said.
“A bit of franchise cricket, because I still love playing. But coaching is something I want to do — I want to be one of the best. I can learn a lot from Baz. I hope people remember me as a free spirit. I played some nice shots and some bad shots, but hopefully people enjoyed watching me,” said Moeen.
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Source: TOI
