England all-rounder Moeen Ali who announced his Test retirement in September 2021, is set to make a return to the red-ball cricket following a chat with England’s newly appointed coach Brendon McCullum.
Moeen Ali Set to Return to Test Cricket
Moeen Ali who played his last test match in September 2021 against India said that he was due to have a chat with Brendon McCullum, adding that it would be “very hard to say no to”, Moeen confirmed it during the ongoing third day’s play between England and New Zealand on Sunday that the conversation with the former Kiwi captain had indeed taken place.
“I spoke to McCullum this morning, and we did discuss Pakistan this winter. The door is always open, and yeah, I suppose I am officially unretired,” Mooen said.
“He is a very difficult person to say no to. I find that very, very hard. He is very convincing and to be honest I would love to play under him and Ben Stokes. They are both very aggressive and I think I would suit their cricket a bit more.
“At the time I said I was retired I felt like I was done. I felt really tired with cricket.”
However, with McCullum at helm, Mooen said it was difficult to resist the temptation especially considering his family links in Pakistan.
“When, or if, Baz McCullum wants me, I’ll definitely play in Pakistan,” Moeen had told told BBC Test Match Special on Saturday (June 11). “I have played Pakistan Super League out there a few years ago but it’s not the same.
“To travel with an England side there having family background from that part of the world will be amazing. It would be a historic event because of England not touring there for so many years. I know the support and love you can get out there, they love cricket. It’s really something that’s very appealing for sure.”
As a spinner, his finest period came between 2017 and 2019. In 2017, he took 26 wickets at 15.64 against South Africa, claiming a famous hat-trick at the Oval. The following summer he collected 32 wickets across six Tests on tour against West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Moeen Ali at the time of his Test retirement played 64 matches and scored 2914 runs with a high score of 155 and bagged 195 wickets which includes 5 five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul.
