3 reasons why Moeen Ali should reconsider his Test retirement
England's all-rounder Moeen Ali has called time on his Test career and will not be coming out of retirement again.
Speaking to the host broadcasters after the Oval Test match, where he picked up three crucial Australian wickets in the final innings, helping England draw the five-match Ashes 2023, Moeen Ali said that it would be his last match in the longest format of cricket.
The all-rounder also joked about deleting Ben Stokes's message should the latter ask him to make a return to Test cricket.
"That's me done," Moeen told Sky Sports. "If Ben Stokes texts me, I'll delete it."
Moeen Ali, 36, quit test cricket two years ago but was recalled to the squad after Jack Leach got injured. It was a text from captain Ben Stokes that pushed him to return and he went on to play four out of the five matches in the Ashes 2023.
Moeen has played 68 tests, scoring over 3,000 runs and taking more than 200 wickets. But considering his impact on the Ashes and several other factors, he should reconsider his test retirement once again.
In this article, we are going to talk about some of the reasons why Moeen Ali should give his test career another look.
#3. Suits the Bazball
Moeen Ali is the kind of player who can be used anywhere in the batting order; he is more of a floater, and with his attacking batting style, where he looks to attack and keep the scoreboard moving, he becomes one of the ideal players that suits the "Bazball" style of play.
Especially against spinners, where his attacking game is murderously effective, he can dominate the attack when the red cherry becomes soft.
He was promoted up the order to bat at number three in the fourth and fifth test matches following an injury to Ollie Pope, and he scored 180 runs with an impressive SR of 65.22 and ensured that Harry Brook, who was looking at sea at Leeds, got to bat at his preferred number 5 position.
#2. Adds value to bowling lineup
Moeen, despite suffering a groin injury and a bruised spinning finger, took three wickets on the final day of the fifth test match at the Oval, where he dismissed dangerous Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh.
His bowling adds another dimension to the English attack, especially in the absence of Jack Leach, who seriously lacks support from the other end on sporting surfaces.
He may not be a great turner of the ball, but he bowls consistently in a particular area around the off stump to test the batsman's patience level, inducing false shots more often than not.
#1. Stern Indian Test coming up for England
It may look like a distant series, but England would be desperate to win a Test series in India after their historic 2012 series win under Alastair Cook.
For that, they would need a player like Moeen Ali who could just dismantle the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel with the bat and more importantly bowl his more than handy off-spin on pitches assisting spinners.
The series may start in January next year, but Moeen's absence will be a huge setback if he is not available for the high-octane clash.