English all-rounder Moeen Ali on Thursday confirmed once again that he is retired and will not be participating in England’s tour to India next year.
The 36-year-old recently came out of retirement after two years on England’s captain Ben Stokes’ request to replace Jack Leach for the Ashes 2023.
However, Ali stated that head coach Brendon McCullum tried to persuade him to participate in England’s tour to India next year where the all-rounder will be useful on India’s spinning wickets and his ability to score runs quickly.
But, Ali stood firm on his decision and declined McCullum’s offer to come out of retirement once more.
"They knew from the start," Moeen said, laughing. "Especially when those India venues came out! Baz asked me again when I had my day off on the second day. I said no. I'm not going [to India]. There's no way I'm going. That's me done. It's nice to finish like this and be part of an amazing day."
"Test cricket is the best cricket," Moeen added. "I wish I could rewind time. Although my career has been a bit up and down, I wouldn't change it. I've loved it. I would have regretted it later in life. It was quite daunting because I've never done well against Australia.
"I still don't believe I've done that well, but it was great to finish like this. It was daunting, but I had nothing to lose, it was a free hit. I had a call from Baz and Stokesy, I felt like I was bowling alright, but the finger was the only issue. I wasn't worried about the bowling."
Moeen, who made his Test debut in 2014 against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, played his last against Australia at the Kia Oval on July 27, 2023.
Ali was very important for England in the Ashes 2023. He took a total of nine wickets in seven innings and contributed with his bat by scoring 180 runs.
It must be noted that the all-rounder has scored 3094 runs in 68 Tests at an average of 28.12, and picked up 204 wickets with his off-spin.
- Moeen Ali