The England Cricket Board recently announced the team for the ODI and T20 series against Australia. Veteran all-rounder Moeen Ali did not get a place in this team. In a way, he was overlooked and that is why all-rounder Moeen Ali has decided to retire from international cricket. He remained active in international cricket for almost a decade. He played his last match in the T20 World Cup 2024.
In an interview to Daily Mail, Moeen Ali said, “I am 37 years old and I was not selected for the series against Australia this month. I have played a lot of cricket for England. Now the time has come for the next generation, about which I was also told. I felt that this is the right time. I have finished my work.”
He further said, “I am very proud. When you play for England for the first time, you do not know how many matches you are going to play. So playing almost 300 matches is amazing. My first few years were spent around the Test cricket team. Once (Eoin) Morgan took charge of the ODI team, I got more opportunities, but Test cricket was the real cricket, where I got less opportunities.”
Moeen Ali, who made his international debut in 2014, played 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20 Internationals as an all-rounder in nearly a decade. He scored 6678 runs for England in all formats, including eight centuries and 28 half-centuries, while he took 366 wickets in international cricket. His last international match was the semi-final match against India in the T20 World Cup in Guyana, in which England lost.
Moeen Ali said, “People forget what impact you make in matches. It may have been only 20 or 30 runs, but it was a very important 20 or 30 runs. For me it was about making an impact. I know what I bring to the team on and off the field. As long as I felt people were enjoying watching my game, whether I performed well or not, I was happy with it.”