Unsung Mo a huge Test loss, says Joe
MOEEN ALI’S retirement from Test cricket has been branded a major loss to England by Joe Root, who believes he has been ‘under-appreciated’.
After the off-spinning all-rounder announced he was calling it quits in the longest format, Root said he felt Moeen did not always get the credit he deserved outside the team.
Moeen, who will continue in limited-overs formats, ends a 64-cap Test career filled with highs and lows over seven years which brought him five centuries and 2,914 runs at an average of 28.29 and 195 wickets at 36.66.
The 34-year-old has had a rollercoaster journey in the longest format over the last couple of years but was named vice-captain for what would prove his final Test against India earlier this month.
Moeen, a 2015 Ashes winner who famously claimed a hat-trick against South Africa in 2017 – a series in which he took 25 wickets – admitted he knew the time had come to quit Tests. Moeen said: ‘It’s been a good journey but during the India series I felt like I was done.’
Having initially been picked to bat at No.6 as someone who could turn his arm over in the wake of Graeme Swann’s retirement, Moeen’s versatility saw him bat multiple times at every position from opener to No.9.
He endured a turbulent Ashes tour Down Under in 2017/18 and was dropped after a poor display in the 2019 series opener, which started a long spell out – having been the leading Test wicket-taker in the world in the 12 months before the series.
But Root insisted Moeen was valued in the inner sanctum, saying: ‘Mo’s career speaks for itself and what he has achieved, he’s done some wonderful things in Test cricket and he’s been one of the great guys to play alongside.
‘He’ll be a huge loss. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing that dressing room with him and we’ve had so many wonderful memories. At times he has been under-appreciated, not within the dressing room but outside of that.
‘He’s a great personality to have in and around the dressing room, and he’s a great brain for younger players to learn from and to feed off.’
Root admitted his handling of Moeen at times could have been better, saying: ‘There are a number of things I’ll look back on when I’m finished as captain, that I could look back on with regret, that I could have done slightly differently.’