Playing 'bazball' kind of Test cricket with England under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes was one of the reasons Moeen Ali chose to come out of retirement as he was called up to the Three Lions squad. Moeen is the chosen replacement for Jack Leach, who suffered a stress fracture last month and has been forced out of The Ashes.
In a conversation with Sky Sports, Moeen revealed that playing under Stokes was a big motivator for him to come out of retirement. The off-spinner, who played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during their victorious Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign, hasn’t played first-class cricket since 2021 when he last faced India in a Test.
"The fact that it is The Ashes and it is such a big series, to be part of it would be amazing. The exciting cricket the guys have been playing. It's an era I would have loved when I was playing [before]." Moeen Ali told Sky Sports on Tuesday, June 13.
"I spoke to Stokesy about how he talks to the batters and he said, 'look, it would be perfect for the way you play'. I am the guy who goes with the flow. At the moment it's just these two games. so let's see what happens," he added.
Moeen has taken 20 wickets in 11 matches against Australia, averaging 64.65. But the biggest factor is that he announced his retirement from Test cricket before the last Ashes series in Australia. But he temporarily reversed his decision in 2022.
He said that after a discussion with captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, Moeen chose to reverse his decision. If asked whether he would continue playing the longest format of the game even after the Ashes series, Moeen added that his focus is currently on the first two Tests of the series.
England, who have been playing aggressive cricket under the leadership of Stokes and McCullum, have won 11 out of their last 13 Tests and start the Ashes, starting June 16, as favourites against Australia, who are heading into the final on the back of winning the World Test Championship final against India earlier in the month.
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