Reflecting on his decade-long international career, Moeen Ali has said that he "left runs out there" and often suffered from a lack of role clarity with the bat.
Moeen formally announced his retirement from international cricket this morning (September 8) in an interview with former England captain Nasser Hussain.
The all-rounder, who represented his country in 298 international matches, stated that he felt that the time was right for him to make way for the next generation of English white-ball players having been one of the high-profile omissions from the squads selected for the upcoming series against Australia.
In a wide-ranging interview reflecting on his time with England, Moeen explained that the lack of clarity around his role with the bat hindered his Test returns.
Moeen was one of England's most versatile players in the modern era. Initially picked in the top six after scoring mountains of runs in domestic cricket – Moeen was the leading run-scorer in the 2013 County Championship – he performed a multitude of roles in an England side that often lacked stability in the second half of the 2010s.
Moeen batted everywhere from one to nine across his 68 Tests, most often batting at Nos. 7 and 8 despite his background as a top-order player. Speaking to Hussain, Moeen admitted that his lack of role consistency affected him.
"I'm also proud of getting five Test hundreds," said Moeen. "It's only five, but it means a lot, especially when I was often down the order. There were times I felt I left runs out there, or didn't do my batting justice. There were brainfades, but I enjoyed batting like that."
"They [the brainfades] often came from not having a role in the side. Also, I didn't have the discipline of a Joe Root. I tried to rectify that, but I just didn't have it: I was a go-with-the-flow player. There were times I did things I shouldn't have done. But it was almost exciting, as I'd wake up and think: I don't know what I'm going to get here."
As well as his five Test hundreds, Moeen claimed 204 Test wickets – a haul bettered only by Graeme Swann and Derek Underwood among English spinners.
Moeen was also part of two World Cup winning campaigns in limited overs cricket – the 2019 World Cup on home soil, and the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Moeen will continue to play domestic T20 cricket around the globe.
