Veteran England all-rounder Moeen Ali opened up about his "honest" conversation with Test team head coach Brendon McCullum, as he confirmed that he is not going to reverse his decision about retirement from the longest format of the game.
The 35-year-old had announced his retirement from Test cricket in September last year, but in June 2022, McCullum was hopeful of making Ali change his mind, and even the all-rounder had said that he would think about it for the December three-match Test series in Pakistan.
But now the all-rounder made it clear that he has closed the door on a return to Test cricket and will not change his mind, as he is not able to give his best at this age in all three formats of the game.
Moeen wrote in his column for the Daily Mail: “I've had an honest chat with Baz (McCullum) and I can't see myself being stuck in hotels for another month and playing to the best of my ability. Baz phoned me, we spoke at length and I said, 'Sorry, I'm done'. He understands, he knows the feeling.”
He added, “Test cricket is hard work. I'm 35 and something's got to give. I want to enjoy my cricket and it wouldn't be fair to reverse my decision and then struggle to give it my all. It's time to close the door on that side of my career. To play 64 tests for England has been a privilege and a dream fulfilled.”
Notably, Ali recently captained England to a 4-3 win in a T20I series against Pakistan.
(With Reuters Inputs)
