TROPHY FOR TRAGIC AYRES
SPEEDWAY
MOEEN ALI has declared himself ready to end his selfimposed exile from Test cricket and has an eye on England’s tour of Sri Lanka for a comeback.
The all-rounder insists his fires have been rekindled by seven months away, having admitted he felt “burnt out” by the demands of international cricket.
He is set to meet Test captain Joe Root and coach Chris Silverwood this week to tell them he is ready to fight for a place on next month’s two-match tour.
“I’ll speak to Spoons [Silverwood] and Rooty about Sri Lanka but ultimately it’s about if I feel I’m ready to play again,” said the off-spinner with 181 wickets and five centuries in 60 Tests. “But even in the warm-up games here I was thinking, ‘I’ve missed this’, which is exactly the feeling I want.”
Moeen, 32, lost his place in the one-day side during England’s triumphant World Cup campaign and was dropped from the Test team after one Ashes outing last August, subsequently losing his red-ball central contract as well.
He went on to sit out England’s series defeat in New Zealand and the 3-1 win in South Africa.
He said: “It wasn’t a mental issue, I just felt completely burnt out, from the travelling, the playing in such big games, the media.
“I needed to step back from cricket, international cricket in particular, just to get away from the scrutiny and intensity of everything. I love it but it was too much for me.
“I was almost not enjoying playing and that’s not a great place to be. I didn’t feel as valued as much as I felt I should have been, and there were times when I thought I was going to quit playing Test matches, but I spoke to Rooty and he felt I was still a big part of this team.”
Root and Silverwood will welcome the selection headache for Sri Lanka. And while Moeen is expected to miss out in the first ODI in Cape Town tomorrow, it makes a run out in one of the three matches more likely.
“I don’t want people to feel I’m picking and choosing and I know even if I decide to go to Sri Lanka, I might not get in straight away,” he added.
“But I’m going to fight for my place.”
THERE have been calls for speedway to inaugurate a new trophy for the most entertaining rider in the British Final in memory of Danny Ayres, who has died aged 33.
Ayres (above) was set to achieve his career highlight with a top-flight debut for Ipswich this season. His passing was announced on his own Facebook page on Saturday evening, although no cause of death was given.