"There are probably things we could have done differently with him" -Test captain Joe Root breaks his silence on Moeen Ali's retirement
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has contributed significantly towards the success of his team across formats with his exploits with the bat and bowl. Test captain Joe Root has also acknowledged Ali's impactful performances in red-ball cricket soon after the latter called it quits from the longer format.
English journalist Rob Jones took to his Twitter account on Monday to reveal Joe Root's reaction to Moeen Ali announcing his retirement from Tests to prolong his white-ball career.
Root reckoned that it will be a huge loss for English cricket to not have someone like Ali in the side. He also pointed out how the left-handed batter remains one of the great guys he has shared the dressing room with.
Just been speaking to Joe Root on Moeen Ali's test retirement:
"Mo's career speaks for itself and he's done some wonderful things in test cricket he's one of the great guys to share a dressing room with and he'll be a huge loss." 1/2
Root believes that while Moeen could come across as under-appreciated among the cricket fraternity and fans, that was not the case in the English dressing room. The England Test skipper opined that 34-year-year had emerged as a fantastic role model for the youngsters.
Many enthusiasts have often suggested that there was a lot of unfulfilled potential in his Test career. Root also admitted that management could have handled the spin-bowling all-rounder a little differently.
"He's maybe been under appreciated at times but not from inside the dressing room.
"He's a huge role model to young boys and girls.
"There are probably things we could have done differently with him but easy to look back and say that." 2/2
"Mo's career speaks for itself and he's done some wonderful things in Test cricket, he's one of the great guys to share a dressing room with and he'll be a huge loss. He's maybe been under appreciated at times but not from inside the dressing room. He's a huge role model for young boys and girls. There are probably things we could have done differently with him but it's easy to look back and say that."
How did Moeen Ali fare in the longer format?
England were desperately looking for a crafty spinner to fill in Graeme Swann's shoes after the latter's retirement. Ali's ability to contribute with the bat, while also chipping in with tidy spells with the ball, helped him cement himself in the Test team.
The player featured in 64 matches in his career. He has 2914 runs to his name in the format, with 5 centuries. In terms of bowling, he has claimed 195 wickets for England in the longer format.