Moeen Ali, England All-Rounder, to Take Break From Test Cricket
England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who missed out on a central contract in Test matches, has decided to take a short break from red-ball cricket. However, he has retained his white-ball contract suggesting he is still a key figure in both the ODI and T20I set-up for England.
London, September 21: England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who missed out on a central contract in Test matches, has decided to take a short break from red-ball cricket. However, he has retained his white-ball contract suggesting he is still a key figure in both the ODI and T20I set-up for England.
The development means that the all-rounder will not be available for selection for England's upcoming Test tour to New Zealand. Speaking to The Guardian, Moeen said: "I do feel I need a break from the longer format but not a massive one. We will see what happens after the New Zealand series. This could be just what I need. Jofra Archer Awarded Test, White Ball Contract by ECB.
"It's disappointing to miss out on a central contract but I'm also pretty chilled about it. Cricket has never been about the money for me. I have always relied on my faith and believe that everything will work out fine."
Ashley Giles, the director of England Cricket, said: "He's been a great servant to this team and that's why I encouraged him to leave that option open for him to come back.
"He might just need that time away and freshen up but he's been a really good servant to this team and he's relatively young."
Having been a permanent fixture in the England side in all three formats, the 32-year-old had a difficult 2019 summer as first he was dropped from the ODI side and then made two Test appearances before losing his place.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 21, 2019 10:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).