Table of Contents
Moeen Ali Retires from Test Cricket After 68 Matches
England’s allrounder Moeen Ali revealed that he played his final Test match at The Oval, the recently concluded 5th Ashes Test. It occurred to be his 68th participation in the game’s longest format. He contributed three key wickets in the fourth innings of the match, helping England tie the series.
Moeen Ali confirmed his retirement from Test cricket following an away series against India in September 2021. However, England’s red-ball captain, Ben Stokes, has requested Moeen Ali to come out of retirement and spearhead the spin assault for the hosts in the Ashes series against archrival Australia. After a lower back stress fracture ruled out their primary spinner, Jack Leach, they made this request.
Leach’s injury posed a significant threat to England’s Ashes campaign, prompting Stokes to ask Moeen to participate in the series.
Moeen Ali’s Retirement a Loss for England’s Test Team
Moeen Ali and his colleagues played a pivotal part in preventing Australia from winning the series. They dismissed Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins in the fourth innings of The Oval Test.
After the Three Lions triumphed in the last Test of the series on Monday, July 30, Moeen told Sky Sports that he wouldn’t be playing for England again. At the start of the series, Stokes sent Moeen an SOS message. The initials SOS, which are repeatedly written out, are a widely recognized distress signal. Moeen, 36, recalled the incident and jokingly vowed that he would refuse any demands of the same nature moving forward in his playing career.
“If Stokesy messages me again, I’m going to delete it. That’s me done. I really have enjoyed it, and it’s great to finish on it,” stated Moeen Ali.
Moeen Ali’s Impact on the 2023 Ashes Series
Prior to the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Moeen had gone longer stretches without bowling. The squad abruptly asked him to perform hard lifting, which caused his bowling finger to suffer and break open. As a result, the team management compelled to sideline him for the second Test at Lord’s.
On his comeback at Headingley in the third Test, he claimed the significant scalps of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. In the fourth Test, he hammered a good-looking half-century before suffering a groin injury in the final Test at The Oval.
My name is Krishanu Das the founder of the Sports Dribble.
I am Accountant by profession but a Sports Blogger by passion.
I am passionate about sharing my all knowledge and experiences of sports, with my readers and every sports enthusiast.
Discover more from SPORTS DRIBBLE
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
