“Never experienced that sort of tiredness in my life” - Moeen Ali shares COVID experience
Having recovered from COVID-19, England all-rounder Moeen Ali said that he "wouldn't wish it on anyone".
Moeen Ali tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival in Sri Lanka earlier this month. He went through the mandatory 14-day quarantine in a hotel room.
Speaking to told reporters via Zoom from Chennai, where England are preparing for the first Test, the 33-year-old opened up on his battle with the coronavirus. On the troubles he experienced physically, Moeen Ali revealed:
"I had loss of taste for a day or so, splitting headaches for three days, body was very sore and the fatigue was. I've never experienced that sort of tiredness before in my life. It was three days feeling pretty rough and the rest was fine. When I initially got it, I thought the next five days will be crucial here, I didn't want the cough and fever and thankfully I didn't have that. There's part of you that's worried and anticipating it would be bad."
Speaking about the 14-day isolation period, Moeen Ali admitted that it felt like a drag as he was isolated in a room. The all-rounder added:
“The last four days in particular were very tough because I felt fine but I was just stuck in a room. It was tough. I somehow got through and didn't think too much about it, just used the time as wisely as I could."
During his quarantine, Moeen Ali spent time reading, playing video games and speaking to friends and family back home. Following the challenging times, he is hoping for something good. According to Moeen Ali:
"It's one of those things. It has been tough but I'm a big believer in 'after hardship comes ease'. Hopefully there is some ease after this.”
Feel I got it at the airport or on the plane: Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali, who has recovered fully now, believes that he might have picked up the virus on the plane or at the airport.
According to the England all-rounder, he was fine when he left home. He also pointed out that neither his family nor Chris Woakes, who shared a minibus with him on the way to Heathrow airport, were affected with the virus.
Moeen Ali recalled:
“Nobody in my family got it and Woakesy (Chris Woakes) didn't get it so I think it was the plane or the airport. I felt fine all the way through. Left home fine, got to the airport, fine. I didn't sleep much on the plane and felt a bit jetlagged and then in the evening I started to get splitting headaches. The test was positive. I was not surprised, I had a feeling because once I landed I didn't feel great. Through the evening I had splitting headaches.”
Once a permanent fixture in the England Test team, Moeen Ali hasn’t played the longest version of the game since August 2019. The India tour could be a make-or-break series for his international career.