- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: Eastern Eye Staff
MOEEN ALI has been included in England’s 30-member group that will begin training at the Ageas Bowl from June 23 ahead of their first Test against the West Indies on July 8.
The 32-year-old all-rounder had announced a break from Test cricket in September last year after losing out on a central contract for the longest format for the 2019-20 season.
He played the last of his 60 Tests in last year’s Ashes series opener against Australia.
Ali said he had recently opted out of the Sri Lanka-bound Test team to “give myself some extra time”. (The tour was called off later due to the coronavirus threat.)
“I needed to recharge my batteries and get my hunger back for the game,” he said.
“I had reached a point where I had almost lost interest in cricket, the playing, the warming-up… it was just becoming something I was doing every day and I just needed that time off to work on my game.
“You cannot play Test cricket when you are mentally tired, which I was.”
Ali said he had decided to take a break from Test cricket to ensure that he could play “for a lot longer”, adding that he was “ready to come back stronger”.
The training group, which includes eight uncapped players, will take part in a three-day practice match on July 1 after which a squad will be named for the first Test, the the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Wednesday (17).
“Everyone involved with England is delighted that cricket is returning soon, and that the players are reporting for group training,” National Selector Ed Smith said.
The first Test is scheduled to take place at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton from July 8, with the last two matches to be held at Old Trafford in Manchester. All three matches will be played without fans present
