England all-rounder Moeen Ali said no to Test head coach Brendon McCullum when he was asked if he would consider playing against India in a five-match Test series in early 2024.
Moeen announced his retirement from Test cricket in September 2021, but he ended up making himself available specifically for the Ashes 2023 series against Australia. England skipper Ben Stokes sent him a message saying, "Ashes?" and Moeen decided to give up on his temptation of featuring in the longest cricket format yet again.
With the revelation of the schedule of India's tour of England, Moeen could have turned out to be an asset for the English team. But he revealed that he made his intentions of retiring clear to Stokes and McCullum earlier.
"They knew from the start. Especially when those India venues came out! Baz asked me again when I had my day off on the second day. I said no. I'm not going [to India]. There's no way I'm going. That's me done. It's nice to finish like this and be part of an amazing day," Moeen said, laughing as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"Test cricket is the best cricket. I wish I could rewind time. Although my career has been a bit up and down, I wouldn't change it. I've loved it. I would have regretted it later in life. It was quite daunting, because I've never done well against Australia," Moeen added.
In the final Test of Ashes 20203, Moeen suffered a groin strain while batting on the first day of the fifth Test. As a result, he did not field in Australia's first innings but marked his return to bowl 23 overs in their second innings, ending with a figure of 3(76) to help England square the series with a 49-run victory on the final day.
When he initially pulled the muscle, Moeen said that his groin strain was sore. As of now, it remains to be seen how much on-field action he can get in the ongoing Hundred over the next four weeks.
"It's something called an adductor. I'd never heard of it before. It's only when I'm running. It's great actually, because you can get away with being rubbish in the field. Guys are moving their positions for me to go into the easiest positions," he explained.
"Apparently it settles down quick. Not bowling in the first innings and having a day off allowed me to bowl today. It was real sore at first and I was quite sore [on Monday]. It crossed my mind that I might not be able to bowl, but I knew it was my last day in Test cricket," Moeen signed off.
