English all-rounder Moeen Ali has stormed back into the England squad after reversing his decision to retire from Test cricket. Ali has been inducted into England’s squad for the first two Ashes Test matches against the mighty Australians.
Moeen Ali announced his retirement back in 2021. He last played a Test match against India at the Oval in September 2021. Since then, Moeen Ali has remained distant from the red-ball format of the game in order to shift focus to limited-overs white-ball cricket.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officially announced Moeen Ali’s inclusion in England’s squad for the Ashes. ECB’s official statement read, “Warwickshire’s spin-bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali has been included in the England Men’s Test squad for the first two Ashes Test matches against Australia starting at Edgbaston on Friday, 16 June 2023.”
Moeen Ali has replaced Somerset’s Left-Arm spinning sensation, Jack Leach. Jack Leach sustained an unfortunate low back stress fracture that ruled him out of the five-match Ashes series. Leach reportedly developed the injury during England’s victorious stint against Ireland on Saturday.
Moeen Ali’s return to Ashes comes as a relief in the absence of injured Jack Leach
Jack Leach performed multiple medical scans on Sunday that confirmed the intent of his injury to confirm his exclusion from the squad ahead of the Ashes. He will now undergo complete recovery and rehabilitation in London.
Meanwhile, the decision of Moeen Ali has certainly brought a sigh of relief to the struggling English camp. Ali took the significant decision of reversing his retirement after brief discussions with skipper Ben Stokes, Head Coach Brendon McCullum and ECB Managing Director Rob Key.
Moeen Ali will now join the England contingent at Birmingham on June 13. Here is the complete England squad for the Ashes:
Ben Stokes (Durham) Captain, Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Mark Wood (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Josh Tongue (Worcestershire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
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