Follow UsMoeen Ali said Ben Stokes was the only England captain who could have coaxed him out of Test retirement. The off-spin bowling all-rounder hasn’t played Test cricket since September 2021 but an injury to England’s first-choice spinner Jack Leach has brought him back into the red-ball set-up.
The 35-year-old hasn’t played a single Test under Stokes and Brendon McCullum who have completely revolutionised red-ball cricket. England have won 11 of their last 13 Tests under them. And Moeen could now be set for a return to Test cricket at Edgbaston, in his home city of Birmingham, when the Ashes series starts on Friday.
"The fact that it is The Ashes and it is such a big series, to be part of it would be amazing. The exciting cricket the guys have been playing. It's an era I would have loved when I was playing (before),” said Moeen who has claimed 195 wickets across 64 Tests.
Asked whether any other captain could have got him out of retirement, Moeen said: “Probably not, no. Stokesy messaged me with a question mark: 'Ashes?'”
"I hadn't heard the news on Leachy at the time so I just said 'LOL', thinking he's taking the mick. Then the news came through and I had a chat with him. That was it.”
Moeen has always played an aggressive brand of cricket and that’s exactly what Stokes and McCullum prefer. “I spoke to Stokesy about how he talks to batters and he said, 'look, it would be perfect for the way you play'. There are no question marks over any shots you play which gives me licence to play a few more rash shots, I guess.
"Even with the ball, he is more on the aggressive side. I know I go for runs but Stokesy also knows there are some wicket-taking deliveries in between. That's all he cares about.
"I have never been able to hold an end up. When I have, it's when I've been taking wickets. That's the only time I have been able to build any kind of pressure. Ben and Baz know that. I am sure they know what they are going to get from me. There are not going to be lots of maidens!
"I'd expect (Australia) to attack me, 100 percent, if I was them I'd do the same. I'm not expecting them to defend me. I'm expecting them to come after me, which could be dangerous because Stokesy likes having the fielders up. I could go for a lot of runs. We'll see."
Now that he is back, would he continue playing red-ball cricket? "I am the guy who goes with the flow. At the moment it's just these two games (Moeen is in the squad for the Edgbaston and Lord's Tests), so let's see what happens."