England all-rounder Moeen Ali is all set to return to Test cricket after replacing the injured Jack Leach in the Ashes squad for the first two Tests as well. However, he has been ruled out of the entire series with a stress fracture in his back and coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes convinced the veteran to come out of retirement as well. Notably, he had called it quits from Test cricket almost two years ago. However, he shared the conversation that he had with Ben Stokes which made him mentally ready to return as well.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Ashes, Moeen Ali said: “Stokesy messaged me with a question mark: ‘Ashes?’ I hadn’t heard the news on Leachy at the time so I just said ‘LOL’, thinking he’s taking the mick. Then the news came through and I had a chat with him. That was it. I spoke to Stokesy about how he talks to batters and he said, ‘Look, it would be perfect for the way you play’. There are no question marks over any shots you play which gives me license to play a few more rash shots, I guess.”
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However, Moeen Ali agreed that he may not have that much control over his off-spin the way Jack Leach has. However,he is pretty clear that Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum know exactly what he offers and how to get the best out of him.
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“I know I go for runs but Stokesy also knows there are some wicket-taking deliveries in between. I have never been able to hold an end up. When I have, it’s when I’ve been taking wickets. That’s the only time I have been able to build any kind of pressure. Ben and Baz [McCullum] know that,” Moeen Ali concluded.
