England’s allrounder Moeen Ali, on 27 September, announced that he will not play anymore in the longest format of the game. The decision came as a surprise but one could not do much but appreciate Moeen for what he has given to England cricket. Ali has played 64 Tests for England and scored 2914 runs at an average of 28.29. Apart from that, he claimed 195 wickets including five 5-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket haul in a match.
Ali’s contribution cannot be overlooked as he has won games for his team on numerous occasions. He was a team man who always played selflessly which reflects in his batting positions. Ali has batted at all positions from 1 to 9 in his Test career. People who have watched him play will always admire him for his glorious cover drives.
Twitter users were quick to react to Moeen’s decision. A few looked disappointed as they wanted to see more of him in the whites while some just wished him the best for his future. “Goodbye Moeen Ali. Thanks for the memories,” wrote one of the users.
Check some of the reactions here:
Moeen Ali was and is really good at cricket. We all criticised him (some more than others) but we all also revelled in the beauty of his cover drives. Gower with, somehow, a bit more class. Effortless sixes and genuinely beautiful deliveries. Modern England great. pic.twitter.com/aQMhPQuFFJ
— TheRunOutBlog (@TheRunOutBlog1) September 26, 2021
Goodbye Moeen Ali. Thanks for the memories. pic.twitter.com/wkSqLoo5X6
— Simon Weaver (@mithril1005) September 26, 2021
Congratulations Moeen Ali on a great Test career. Always willing. Ever ubiquitous. Always undervalued, underrated, derided and disrespected.Yet finished 84 runs short of 3000 and 5 wickets shy of 200. 5 Test hundreds, a Test hattrick, and batted in every position from 1 to 9.
— Mike Selvey #StandWithUkraine (@selvecricket) September 27, 2021
Thats the end of Moeen Ali in Test Cricket.
Best of luck legend.
— Saeed Cricky🏏 (@SaeedCricky) September 27, 2021
Moeen Ali deserves all the praise for his achievement in Test Cricket representing a nation that does not produce spin friendly wickets. You just can't hate this guy. Well played MO! #MoeenAli
— 𝓡𝓪𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓪𝓷 🔴 (@ramanan_rs) September 27, 2021
Congratulations Moeen Ali on a great Test Career. 64 matches. Just shy of 3000 runs. Just shy of 200 wickets. His numbers will never tell the full story of how important he was to English Cricket. Wishing him the very best and looking forward to seeing him in white ball cricket. pic.twitter.com/DWvhnI5tK2
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) September 27, 2021
Greatest memory of Moeen Ali in whites
The sheer resilience of the man, the sheer ruthlessness of the sport, the sheer heartbreak for every england cricket fan. All clubbed together
Mo retiring from Tests is good for elongating his career but what’s gotta hurt, just simply does pic.twitter.com/l25k0q2iAZ
— Sritama (Ross Taylor’s version) (@cricketpun_duh) September 26, 2021
https://twitter.com/SilentlyFluent/status/1442385639337390085
Representation matters! The legacy of Mooen Ali goes far beyond his incredible achievement with the bat and bowl. It is about inspiring youngsters to take up the sport and showing the next generation inclusivity in Cricket! #MoeenAli #espncricinfo #Cricket https://t.co/c6mA3iCHc4
— Bidhu Das (@I_amBidhu) September 27, 2021
I felt like I was done: Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali has called his time in Test cricket, however we will be able to see him play in the white-ball format. Ali had his moments while playing for England. He scored five centuries, claimed a hattrick, and batted wherever the team management asked him to do. It may have surprised many but Ali feels he was done in the longest format.
“I felt like I was done, to be honest. I was hoping to play the last Test – there were a couple of milestones I wanted to pass – but once that game got called off, I realized that was it,” said Ali on his decision. “You try your best. I just found it really hard to get in the zone bowling, batting, and in the field. And the more I tried, I just couldn’t do it. In the past when I came back into the team, it might take a bit of time but then I’m all in. But that series, I just couldn’t do it,” he stated.
