No Mo in Tests
Moeen Ali has announced his retirement from Test cricket recently, after questioning his ability to maintain focus in the longer format. The 34year-old finished ■4 runs and five wickets short of joining a golden list of all-rounders comprising Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Garfield Sobers.
Had the Manchester Test not been cancelled, the spin-bowling all-rounder could have become the 15th Test player in history to score 3,000 runs along with 200 wickets.
Moeen stopped at 2,914 runs with five centuries, 195 scalps, 2■ victories, and nine series wins. “I’ve enjoyed Test cricket, but that intensity can be too much sometimes, and I feel like I’ve done enough of it, and I’m happy and content with how I’ve done,” he said.
Moeen had to swim through rough waters to revive his red-ball career that went downhill after the Edgbaston Ashes Test in 2019. He was not a centrally contracted Test player for 1■ months before returning for the series against India in February 2021. He is part of England’s squad for the T20 World Cup.