(Cricinfo) Moeen Ali, the England all-rounder, is set to announce his immediate retirement from Test cricket.
Moeen, 34 and a veteran of 64 Tests, has decided he no longer has the hunger to play the longest format. In particular, ESPNcricinfo understands he is uncomfortable with the prospect of an extended time away from home in the coming months as a likely member of both the T20 World Cup and Ashes squads. He is currently in the UAE, playing for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL but is understood to have informed Chris Silverwood, the England head coach, and Joe Root, England’s Test captain, in recent days.
He is keen to continue his career for England in white-ball cricket and is also expected to continue to play County and franchise cricket. It seems unlikely he will continue to play first-class cricket but no firm decision has yet been taken on that.
People will, no doubt, be debating the merits of Moeen’s career for years to come. Some of the statistics are arresting: he reached the landmark of 2000 Test runs and 100 wickets, for example, in fewer Tests than Ian Botham, Garry Sobers and Imran Khan. Only 15 England bowlers have taken more Test wickets. At his high point, he was rated the third best allrounder in the ICC’s Test rankings.
