Moeen Ali added to England's Test squad for Ashes

After a couple of days of speculations surrounding the return of Moeen Ali in the longest format, the all-rounder has officially been added to England's Test squad as a replacement for Jack Leach, the England Cricket Board confirmed on Wednesday (June 7). 

The left-arm spinner has been a vital cog in the Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes era, where England have managed to win 11 out of their 13 Test matches. However, a lower back stress fracture has ruled him out of the Ashes. 

Following the injury to their premier spinner, the England team management approached Mooen to consider coming out of retirement and ply his trade for the national side in the longest format. 

The all-rounder is a veteran of 67 Test matches, amassing 2914 runs and scalping 195 wickets. The 35-year-old last featured for England in September 2021 against India at the Oval and has not played any first-class cricket since then. 

After a detailed discussion with the team management and skipper, Stokes, the 35-year-old, has been added to the Test squad for the first two games. 

Rob Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket, said, “We reached out to Mo (Moeen Ali) early this week about returning to Test cricket. Having had a couple of days to reflect, Mo is excited to join the squad and play Test cricket again."

"His vast experience, along with his all-around ability, will benefit our Ashes campaign. We wish Mo and the rest of the squad well for the Ashes campaign," he stated in a press release. 

The off-spinner has been picked over young spin-bowling all-rounders like Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks, who were both impressive during the tour of Pakistan.

While legspinner Rehan claimed seven wickets in the only Test he played, Jacks took six scalps across two games.

The first of the five Ashes Tests will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham starting June 16.