England star all-rounder Moeen Ali has taken back his retirement from test cricket and has returned to the squad for the first two tests of the upcoming Ashes after Jack Leach’s back stress fracture ruled him out of the much anticipated Ashes 2023.
Earlier, it was reported that Moeen Ali was asked about his availability for the national team following the injury to their primary spinner Jack Leach and the veteran all-rounder has decided to return to the England test team under the inspiring leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
The England all-rounder has a better record with both the bat and ball in home tests as compared to his away appearances and he would suit England’s aggressive style of gameplay in a red ball over the last two years, as he can be vital with both bat and ball for the national team against the formidable Australian team.
Moeen Ali announced his retirement during the 2021-22 Ashes Series to prolong his career in white-ball cricket and to take up the opportunity to play in franchises league around the globe and has represented the country in 64 test matches so far and it was reported that the team had talks with the all-rounder for his return to test cricket early when they visited Pakistan for an away test series.
The 35-year-old played a pivotal role in the team’s success in the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup and has been an integral part of the team’s success under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy redefining the game of English Cricket in recent years. He was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), where his team won the 5th title in league history.
With Ben Stokes taking over captaincy under Brendon McCullum’s coaching England is redefining test cricket with their approach and they will do well against Australia on the home soil. Ben Stokes and Co. lost only one out of their 10 home Tests last year, including a 3-0 clean sweep of New Zealand and their form has been outstanding in the past 12 months.
England squad for the Ashes:
Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.