Moeen Ali has decided to retire from English domestic cricket following the conclusion of the T20 Blast. Former England's star all-rounder Moeen Ali, who was last featured for his team, was seen in T20 World Cup 2024 and had already announced his international retirement on September 8, 2024, has plans to forgo participation in the Hundred tournament in 2025, as per ESPNcricinfo. This decision marks the end of a illustrious chapter in his domestic career, allowing him to focus on other pursuits.
Moeen Ali retires from English domestic cricket, to skip the Hundred
Moeen Ali's journey in international cricket began with his white-ball debut for England during their 2014 tour of the West Indies. Over his decade-long career, he became a mainstay in England's limited-overs teams, featuring in 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is. Later that same year, he earned his Test debut at Lord's against Sri Lanka, ultimately representing England in 68 Test matches. His contributions across all three formats were substantial, culminating in a total of 6678 runs, which included eight centuries and 28 half-centuries, and 366 wickets. His contributions played a crucial role in England's victories in the 2019 Cricket World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup, solidifying his legacy as a key member of the national team.
At 37, Moeen Ali, despite retiring from international cricket in September, has maintained an active presence in franchise cricket. However, he has now decided to step away from English domestic cricket after the T20 Blast, and will not participate in the Hundred in 2025. This decision provides him with greater flexibility to pursue further opportunities in overseas leagues as he enters the concluding phase of his career, as the ECB's NOC policies typically restrict player movement during the English summer.
Currently in the final year of his contract with Warwickshire, Moeen will transition into a coaching role during the upcoming T20 Blast, taking on a player-coach position with the Birmingham Bears. He has opted out of the Hundred, though his availability for the knockout stages of the T20 Blast, should the Bears qualify, remains uncertain. For the first four seasons of the Hundred, Moeen captained the Birmingham Phoenix, but he will not be part of their squad in 2025. The deadline for Hundred teams to finalise their player retentions for 2025, retaining up to 10 players per team at agreed salary bands, was Monday afternoon.
"This is a big decision for me and not one I've taken lightly. But I've reached a decision in the last few days, taking into account what I feel is best for me and my family at this stage in my career," Moeen said in a club statement.
"I'm still passionate about the game and want to play as much as I can. I still love playing. I still have passion for the game and I love being in a team environment. I also enjoy talking to players about cricket, the tactics, and I think that'll help me move smoothly into coaching after my playing days are over."
"I came back to Warwickshire with an aim of trying to help them win the Blast and I still want to play a role this year. I'll be available to play throughout the Blast group games, and would love to be involved as a player-coach," he added.
Moeen Ali's departure from the Birmingham Phoenix is part of a wider reshuffling of the squad, with Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes also set to leave. As per ESPNcricinfo, London Spirit has secured Jamie Smith as their designated centrally-contracted player, while Welsh Fire is showing strong interest in acquiring Chris Woakes.
Moeen Ali, who is currently pursuing his ECB Level Three coaching qualifications, will take on a significant role in the revamped Warwickshire coaching staff during the upcoming T20 Blast. Ian Westwood will assume the position of head coach, replacing Mark Robinson, and Matt Walker will join as the batting coach, following his departure from Kent. The T20 Blast is scheduled to commence on May 30, shortly after Moeen returns from his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Notably, KKR roped in Moeen for Rs 2 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
