Ben Stokes Made a One-Word Appeal to Moeen Ali to End His Test Retirement: Moeen Ali, an all-around player, claimed that England captain Ben Stokes had sent him a reassuring letter, setting him on the road to an improbable return to the test squad for the next Ashes series.
After speaking with test captain Chris Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, the 35-year-old all-rounder, who had previously announced his retirement from test cricket at the end of the 2021 summer, has changed his mind.
Jack Leach, who withdrew from the original 16-player team on Sunday after suffering a low back stress fracture that prevents him from playing in the five-match Ashes Test series, was replaced by Moeen.
The off-spinner said that the skipper hired him before learning of Leach’s injury and learning of his odd response to Stoke’s one-world message.
“Stokesy (Stokes) messaged with a question mark – Ashes?” The BBC cited Moeen as stating. I just said, “LOL,” assuming he was making fun of me.
“After receiving the news, I spoke with him. There it was. Those are the Ashes. It would be amazing to be a part of it, he continued.
The 35-year-old said that only England captain Ben Stokes could have convinced him to resume playing in tests in time for the 2018 Ashes series.
When asked if another captain may have been able to convince him to reconsider, Moeen retorted, “Probably not, no.
When they were playing together for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, Moeen, Stokes’ colleague, said that the England captain made no mention of coming out of retirement.
I spent a lot of time with Stoksey throughout the IPL, obviously. He made no mention of the IPL or coming out of retirement; instead, he focused only on the Ashes and where he wanted to lead the team. He certainly observed me practicing there and believes I can bowl reasonably well, the 35-year-old said.
The bottom-order batsman and off-spinner had previously excelled in the red ball format, scoring 2914 runs at an average of 28.29, including five centuries, and taking 195 wickets at an average of 36.66. On the third day of the first exam, he will turn 36 years old.
Since his retirement from test cricket, Moeen has continued to represent England as a white ball specialist. He was a member of the squad that won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2022.
Read Also – Top 10 Best & Most Popular Cricket Websites To Follow In 2023