England's star all-rounder Moeen Ali has announced his retirement from international cricket. The decision comes after Moeen was excluded from the white-ball squad for the upcoming series against Australia. Notably, Moeen was part of the England teams that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup.
Moeen Ali Retires from International Cricket
Moeen Ali expressed that he felt it was the right time to step away from international cricket, citing his extensive career with the England national team.
Last year, Moeen Ali retired from Test cricket for the second time following the conclusion of the Ashes series. Despite his retirement from Test cricket, he continued to represent England in white-ball formats. Ali was a key member of the England team that participated in the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024.
Moeen Ali's impressive career included 68 Test matches, where he scored 3,094 runs with five centuries and 15 half-centuries. His bowling prowess was equally impressive, as he took 204 wickets, including five five-wicket hauls. In limited-overs cricket, Ali excelled in both batting and bowling. He amassed 2,355 runs in 138 ODIs, taking 111 wickets. In T20Is, he scored 1,229 runs and claimed 51 wickets in 92 matches.
In an interview with Nasser Hussain for the Daily Mail, Moeen Ali shared his reasons for retiring from international cricket. Ali expressed that playing for England was one of the most fulfilling experiences of his life. He emphasized that his decision to retire was not driven by fitness concerns.
“Playing for England were the best days of my life. 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,” Moeen said.
England's failure to reach the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 led to a decision to inject the squad with younger talent for the upcoming home series against Australia. Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, and Chris Jordan were not included in the white-ball squads. While England is currently engaged in a three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, with the final match scheduled to conclude on September 10, the team will quickly transition to prepare for the T20I series against Australia, starting on September 11.
Moeen Ali to feature in CPL 2024
Moeen has signed with the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 season. Ali's decision to join the Warriors comes on the back of his impressive performances in the ongoing T20 Blast. In the T20 Blast, Ali has showcased his batting prowess, scoring 205 runs at an impressive average of 41 and a strike rate of 161.41. His bowling contributions have also been significant, with 10 wickets taken at an economy rate of under 8.50.
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