England all-rounder Moeen Ali has said he’s “officially unretired” from Test cricket, given the team’s upcoming tour of Pakistan, following the chat with the country’s new red-ball coach Brendon McCullum.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has said he’s “officially unretired” from Test cricket, given the team’s upcoming tour of Pakistan, following the chat with the country’s new red-ball coach Brendon McCullum.
Moeen’s U-turn comes under a year since he called time on his test vocation last September with 2914 runs and five centuries as well as 195 wickets that incorporate five-wicket pulls in his 64-match stint in the longest format over seven years.
While on Saturday, Moeen had said he was due to have a chat with McCullum, adding that it would be “very hard to say no to”, the 34-year-old confirmed during the ongoing third day’s play between England and New Zealand on Sunday that the conversation with the former Kiwi captain had indeed taken place.
“I spoke to McCullum this morning, and we did discuss Pakistan this winter. The door is always open, and yeah, I suppose I am officially unretired,”
Moeen said.
“He is a very difficult person to say no to. I find that very, very hard. He is very convincing and to be honest I would love to play under him and Ben Stokes. They are both very aggressive and I think I would suit their cricket a bit more.
“At the time I said I was retired I felt like I was done. I felt really tired with cricket.”
However, with McCullum at the helm, Moeen said it was difficult to resist the temptation, especially considering his family links in Pakistan.
“When, or if, Baz McCullum wants me, I’ll play in Pakistan,”
Moeen had told BBC Test Match Special on Saturday (June 11).
“I have played Pakistan Super League out there a few years ago but it’s not the same.
“To travel with an England side there having a family background from that part of the world will be amazing. It would be a historic event because England had not toured there for so many years. I know the support and love you can get out there, they love cricket. It’s really something that’s very appealing for sure.”
