Moeen Ali is feeling mentally ready to make a comeback to Test cricket. The England all-rounder took a break from the longest form of the game after being dropped following an insipid performance in the first Test of the last year's home Ashes, partly for being made to think of himself like a "scapegoat" whenever the team lost.
“I think I’d probably be ready (to play Test cricket) now, to be honest. Clearly, I would have to be playing well and win a spot back on merit,” Moeen told the Guardian. "But in terms of being available - and obviously I’m speaking hypothetically - if there was a Test match tomorrow and I got the call, I’d say ‘yes’."
With his break from Tests extended by the COVID-19 pandemic, Moeen has perhaps refound love for the red-ball game.
"We’re all missing cricket right now and coronavirus makes you realise what you love," he said. "It could take out the whole summer and that would be a big thing."
“When you find yourself surrounded by a few negative comments, somehow it’s all you can focus on. You have to be mentally stronger and filter more of it out," added the 32-year-old, who has played 60 Tests for England so far, scoring 2,782 runs and taking 181 wickets.
"It’s almost been a case of forgiving anyone who has ever said anything I didn’t like and now looking to start afresh when we get back playing."
"I may have felt a scapegoat at times in the past but I’m over it now. It’s time to move on."
(Inputs from AFP)
