England all-rounder Moeen Ali announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday (September 8).
Moeen Ali had retired from Test cricket for the second time following the Ashes in 2023, but continued to represent England in the T20I and ODI formats. He last matches for England in the white-ball formats came in back-to-back World Cups – against Pakistan in the 50-over format last year and against India in the semi-final of the 20-over format this year.
A left-handed batter who bowled off-spin, Moeen made a total of 298 appearances for England in a ten-year-long career. He scored over 1,000 international runs and took over 50 international wickets in each format of the game. In Test cricket, only three men – Stuart Broad, Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff – have both scored more runs and taken more wickets than Moeen for England.
Moeen Ali: I've done my part for England
In an interview with Nasser Hussain for Mail Sport, Moeen explained that the decision to retire now stemmed from his exclusion from England's white-ball squads for their upcoming home series against Australia.
"I'm 37 years old and didn't get picked for this month's Australia series," he said. "I've played a lot of cricket for England. It's time for the next generation, which was also explained to me. It felt the time was right. I've done my part."
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Moeen heaped praise on ODI World Cup-winning England captain Eoin Morgan, calling him the best captain he had ever played under. He was also complimentary of the current England Test leadership team of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, saying "those guys just bring the fun".
Looking into the future, Moeen confirmed he would still be active in franchise cricket: "A bit of franchise cricket [is coming next], because I still love playing.
"But coaching is something I want to do: I want to be one of the best. I can learn a lot from Baz [McCullum]. I hope people remember me as a free spirit. I played some nice shots and some bad shots, but hopefully people enjoyed watching me."
ECB chair Richard Thompson commented: "To play nearly 300 times for England across all three formats, and score the runs and take the wickets Moeen has, is an outstanding achievement. An integral part of two World Cup wins, his record marks him down as one of our finest all-rounders.
"Watching Moeen in full flow with the bat is always a treat, playing with such elegance and hitting the ball so cleanly, while also capable of being a match-winner with the ball. I’ll never forget his Test hat-trick against South Africa to help England win in 2017 in the Oval’s 100th Test.
"He has made a huge contribution on and off the field and whether in captaining or vice-captaining the side, or in the way he has played the game, he has been an inspiration to so many. Thank you Moeen, and best wishes for the future.”
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