Moeen Ali retires at The Oval (again) - this time with the closure his Test career warranted
Five letters and a question mark, embedded in a now-famous text message sent by Ben Stokes was all it took to pull Moeen Ali out of Test retirement. That came in the aftermath of England being rid of Jack Leach, their preferred spinner’s services for the summer owing to injury.
At the time, plenty was spoken about the decision. One school of thought revolved around what Moeen was bringing to the table, and if it was indeed worth going back to someone who had bid adieu to the format almost two years ago.
There was another narrative, indicating a much deeper problem in England’s domestic circuit that they had to pull someone out from the wilderness and entrust him to deliver the goods in the Ashes.
The first Test did not quite go to plan. In the first innings, Moeen swung wildly at a Nathan Lyon delivery and was stumped. Joe Root was at the other end when this transpired, and the frustration around Moeen throwing away another start was palpable.
On the bowling front, he sent down 33 overs, conceding 147 runs and picking up two wickets. His excursions with the ball also led to a bruised finger, meaning that he could only bowl 14 overs on a wearing Edgbaston track in the fourth innings. For context, Root, a part-timer, bowled 15 in Australia’s run chase.
The all-rounder did not feature at all at Lord’s as England went two-nil down, and once that happened, the knives were out. Skepticism was not far away either.
England, ignoring the spinners who had been doing well on the domestic circuit (read Liam Dawson), had opted to rope in someone that had not played Test cricket since September 2021, only for the latter to possibly leave them more depleted as the Ashes threatened to drift away.
The hosts and captain Stokes, thus, must be given credit for sticking with Moeen, even when there were several reasons to not do. And the all-rounder, of course, must be lauded for shaping this last dance of his Test career to his liking and making it the sort of ending his career really warranted.
@bbctms Moeeen Ali means much more to cricket than his numbers suggest. A selfless players who always answered the call when needed, played the game in great spirit and I’m sure he will be missed in the dressing room. Thanks for giving your best Mo #Ashes2023
Moeen, because of the way he plays cricket, is often a misunderstood character. The languidness and flamboyance can be mistaken for carelessness, and when he got out slogging or just could not get into a bowling rhythm, it was definitely perceived to be the latter.
Those perceptions meant that Moeen was never really regarded as a spin-bowling all-rounder in the highest bracket. The numbers – a bowling average of 37.31 and a batting average of 28.12 did not do him any favors either.
But he did end up getting more than 3000 Test runs and picked up more than 200 wickets – something only 15 other cricketers have ever done in this format. He finished with a fourth-innings bowling average of 23.17 - just 0.03 worse than the late great Shane Warne and produced countless moments that made jaws drop and made people gape in awe at the match-winner they were witnessing.
When he retired in September 2021, he had neither breached the 3000-run mark nor the 200-wicket mark and that showed he had made peace with his numbers. Now, though, he has both of those, and it seems his Test career has been iced the way it should have been all along.
Had Moeen not come back for this Ashes series, his last Test would have, rather incidentally, been at The Oval, against India in 2021. In the first innings of that game, he perished attempting a wild slog, with the feeling from those watching that that was, in a nutshell, why his Test career never really hit the heights it could have.
Now, though, Moeen has his closure. Another game at The Oval. Another game where he did attempt a slog (albeit with an injured groin) and was dismissed. But a match where he forced everyone to look past whatever shortcomings he has had as a Test cricketer and instead just concentrate on all the good things he brings to the fore.
Moeen Ali swung the fifth Test in England's favor on the final day
On the final day, at one point, it seemed that Australia were favorites to win, with a drawn outcome being a close second.
But Moeen Ali produced two moments of magic – first to get rid of Travis Head and then to completely deceive Mitchell Marsh – batters who have been tough to dislodge all Ashes. He then proceeded to dismiss Pat Cummins, famously England's kryptonite at Edgbaston earlier in the summer.
That he did so while battling a groin injury, which hampered his batting in the first innings, and made him sit out the entirety of day two, only illustrates how supremely talented he is, and why England could not resist the temptation to bring him back from the wilderness.
And that behind the languid and flamboyant demeanor, there lay a cricketer willing to do anything and everything for his country – bat, bowl, and field – just to help his side to victory, while making everything look so easy and lazily elegant, even if repeating them frequently was not quite his biggest strength.
Brilliant to see Moeen Ali getting so much love and a proper send off if he is going back to retirement. Answered the call when England needed him at no notice or prep and had a really good series.
A proper likeable fella and a brilliant England career.
Go well, Mo!
When the time comes for England to tour India early next year, the temptation to send him another text message asking if he is interested will be at its pinnacle.
Crazier things have happened in this sport but going by what Moeen said in the aftermath of the fifth and final Ashes Test, he will, in all likelihood, not make that trip. It might take more than five letters and a question mark embedded in a text message anyway.
That is completely fine, though, for Moeen retires as one of the most effective spin-bowling all-rounders England have produced in Test cricket all these years. And to be completely honest, that pedestal is probably the least he deserved.