England all-rounder Moeen Ali announces his retirement
England Men’s all-rounder Moeen Ali has made the decision to retire from Test cricket in a bid to prolong his career.
The 34-year-old who made 64 Test appearances for England after making his debut in 2014 said he will miss ‘playing against the best’ but admits he is ‘content’ with what he achieved in his career.
As a result, Moeen will now focus on white-ball cricket for England, county cricket for Worcestershire and domestic T20 tournaments after being named in next month’s World Cup squad.
Speaking about his decision to retire, Moeen said in an ECB statement: ‘I’m 34 now and I want to play for as long as I can and I just want to enjoy my cricket.
‘Test cricket is amazing, when you’re having a good day it’s better than any other format by far, it’s more rewarding and you feel like you’ve really earnt it.
‘I will miss just walking out there with the lads, playing against best in the world with that feeling of nerves but also from a bowling point of view, knowing with my best ball I could get anyone out.’
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‘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.’
Moeen will be a huge loss for England as he took 195 Test wickets and scored five Test match centuries during his career.