Worcestershire have announced that Moeen Ali will be taking a “short break” from all cricket, following his return to the county after his exclusion from the England Test squad for the second Ashes Test.
Moeen is the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket over the last 12 months, but was short of his best with both bat and ball at Edgbaston. He made scores of 0 and 4 and returned match figures of 3-172 on a pitch that assisted spin. He was also left out of the latter part of England’s victorious World Cup campaign.
“Mo is spending a little time away from the middle recharging his batteries and putting in some quality practice time which he feels he needs,” said Worcestershire’s first-team head coach Alex Gidman. “He has had an intense schedule of international cricket involving the ICC World Cup and the start of the Ashes.
“He’s been a big part of English cricket. He’s done some fantastic things in a Test shirt, and it’s certainly not the last we’ve seen of him. He’s a fine cricketer, he’s a great man, he gives so much to this team, and I’m sure it won’t be long until we see him back.”
England and Australia meet in the second Test of the 2019 Ashes series at Lord’s on Wednesday.
