MOEEN PUTS TEST CAREER ON HOLD
He won’t tour and may quit Tests for good
MOEEN ALI has turned his back on the England Test team by making himself unavailable for the foreseeable future. The all-rounder, dropped after the first Ashes Test this summer, was overlooked for a red-ball central contract yesterday after asking not to be considered for the tours to New Zealand and South Africa. Moeen, who scored just 90 runs in nine Test innings this year, received a white-ball deal from the ECB as he begins an indefinite break from Tests. The 32-year-old said: ‘I want to enjoy my batting and this will give me a bit of a break. I’ve been playing for England for five years and it’s been quite tough. I’m not ruling out playing Tests in the future.’ World Cup hero Liam Plunkett, who lost his white-ball central contract yesterday, tweeted last night: ‘Disappointed is an understatement.’
Moeen Ali may have played his last Test after telling england he wants to concentrate on white-ball cricket.
The surprise news yesterday that Moeen had been offered just a white-ball deal in england’s latest round of central contracts is explained by the off-spinner’s desire to take a step back from the longer form of the game.
And only the urging of Ashley Giles, england’s team director, for Moeen to leave open the possibility of a change of heart stopped him from turning his back on Test cricket for good.
Moeen endured the worst summer of his career, losing his one-day place during the World Cup and then being dropped after the first Ashes Test, when both his bowling and batting began to fall apart.
now, at 32, he wants to focus on next year’s World Twenty20 in Australia so time could be running out for him to add to his 60 Tests and 181 wickets.
‘He just wants a little break from Tes t cricket,’ said Giles. ‘ Moeen has been a great servant. That’s why i encouraged him to leave the door open to come back. it’s been a really challenging summer and he might just need to freshen up.’
it is a blow for england, not least because their spinning cupboard is largely bare. Giles did not rule out Moeen returning for the two-Test tour of Sri lanka in March, but he will definitely miss the trips to new Zealand and South Africa.
There is a big red-ball question mark, too, over leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who admitted this week the shoulder problem that curtailed his season after the World Cup may lead to him again concentrating solely on the limited-overs game.
‘Rash has got stuff to think about, too,’ admitted Giles. ‘And with him some of that is physical because Test cricket is more demanding on his shoulder. But he’s available for all formats until he tells me otherwise.’
So Jack leach could be england’s sole specialist spinner in new Zealand and South Africa, with Joe Root and Joe Denly offering support, but the squad will need reinforcements in Sri lanka. Surrey’s Amar Virdi is the best young slow bowler in the country but is not ready for the big stage. Somerset’s Dom Bess is more of a batsman who bowls.
The other big loser in the new list of central contracts is liam Plunkett who, at 34, probably played his last game for england in the World Cup final. ‘He didn’t fit our future needs moving into a new cycle,’ said Giles.
The team director confirmed Joe Root will stay on as captain to build for the next Ashes in two years’ time alongside a new coach who could be in place for the october tour of new Zealand.
The process of picking Trevor Bayliss’s successor has started ‘in earnest’ and Giles will appoint an interim coach for new Zealand should his preferred choice not be ready to take over in time.
Giles wants one head coach for all formats, with three assistants working under him. ‘it’s a big appointment for me because it’s my first major one,’ he added.
Sportsmail revealed this week that ireland coach Graham Ford is a strong candidate. He joins internal contenders Graham Thorpe and Chris Silverwood on the shortlist. And another english candidate has emerged — Surrey’s director of cricket and one of england’s most capped players, Alec Stewart.
Giles is a big fan and wants to consider Stewart, but it remains to be seen whether he could be lured away from the oval and would be prepared to commit to the international merry-go-round at the age of 56.