Moeen Ali announces retirement from Test Cricket

England all-rounder Moeen Ali has decided to hang his boots from the Test format with immediate effect, the ECB announced on Monday. However, the English all-rounder will continue to play in a limited-overs format for the team.

In 64 Tests, Moeen amassed 2914 runs and picked up 195 wickets, falling short of becoming the 15th player in the history of Test cricket to score 3000 runs and pick 200 wickets. The left-handed batter made a fine start to his Test career as he scored a fine hundred in his second Test match.

“I’m 34 now and I want to play for as long as I can and I just want to enjoy my cricket,” Moeen said. “Test cricket is amazing, when you’re having a good day it’s better than any other format by far, it’s more rewarding and you feel like you’ve really earnt it.

“I will miss just walking out there with the lads, playing against best in the world with that feeling of nerves but also from a bowling point of view, knowing with my best ball I could get anyone out. I’ve enjoyed Test Cricket but that intensity can be too much sometimes and I feel like I’ve done enough of it and I’m happy and content with how I’ve done.”

Meanwhile, Moeen Ali recently got the much-awaited call-back to England’s Test team and was also part of the Leeds win. However, Ali admitted that he wasn’t able to fully concentrate in the Oval Test against India and knew his Test career was up.

“I felt like I was done, to be honest,” he says now. “I was hoping to play the last Test – there were a couple of milestones I wanted to pass – but once that game got called off, I realized that was it.

“Headingley was a great win but I just found I couldn’t concentrate. I’ve played rash shots before and had poor games before. But I just felt like I wasn’t in it. I’ve never felt that before. It’s not that I didn’t want to perform, I just didn’t feel like I was fully wholeheartedly into it.

“You try your best. I just found it really hard to get in the zone bowling, batting, and in the field. And the more I tried, I just couldn’t do it. In the past when I came back into the team, it might take a bit of time but then I’m all in. But that series, I just couldn’t do it.

Moeen Ali is currently plying his trade for Chennai Super in the ongoing IPL. The all-rounder is also part of England’s T20 World Cup squad.