England all-rounder Moeen Ali said now confirmed that he is “officially unretired” from Test cricket and is open to making a comeback in the longest format of the game. Back in September 2021, Moeen decided to hang his boots from Test cricket after playing 64 matches.

The 34-year-old, in the meantime, said that he decided to come out of retirement as he had a lengthy discussion with Brendon McCullum, the newly-appointed Test coach of the England national team. Moeen Ali said that he’s ready to play against for the Three Lions’ upcoming tour of Pakistan later this year.

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During the third day’s play for the ongoing Test between England and New Zealand at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham, Moeen Ali said, “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.”

Talking about coming out of retirement, Moeen Ali 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.”

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In 64 Tests, Moeen Ali has already amassed 2914 runs at an average of 28.29 and he has managed to maintain a strike rate of 51.14 with five centuries and 14 half-centuries to show for his efforts. He also has 195 wickets to his name, including five five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul.