He hit ‘some nice shots and some bad shots’, but Moeen Ali hopes England fans enjoyed watching him play as he speaks to Nasser Hussain about international retirement

After 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20s for England, Moeen Ali has retired from international cricket.

Only two players have scored more runs and taken more wickets for England, with Moeen a regular in all three formats for England for a number of years.

After missing out on selection for the upcoming Australia series, he has decided to call it a day when it comes to England duty, and is now looking towards the future.

Having leant on the all-rounder on countlesss occasions, England and their management must now look to the next generation to take the various squads forward. 

In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport, he talks to NASSER HUSSAIN about his career — and his decision to call it a day.

Only two players have scored more runs and taken more wickets for England in their careers

Moeen speaks exclusively to Mail Sport’s Nasser Hussain (left) about his decision and career

Nasser Hussain: First things first, Mo. Why now?

Moeen Ali: I’m 37 years old and didn’t get picked for this month’s Australia series. 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.

NH: How proud are you of what you’ve achieved?

MA: I’m very proud. When you first play for England, you don’t know how many games you’re going to play. So to play nearly 300…

My first few years were all about Test cricket. Once Morgs (Eoin Morgan) took over the one-day stuff, that was more fun. But Test cricket was the proper cricket.

NH: You started as a talented young batsman. So were you surprised how well the off-spin went, taking 204 Test wickets?

MA: Yes, especially the number of wickets. There were games where I struggled, but I was able to stay in the side as a spinner, while batting No 7 or 8. I’m also proud of getting five Test hundreds. 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.

NH: Were the brainfades because you batted throughout the order? And how frustrating were they?

MA: They 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.

NH: You were always a very honest cricketer. You don’t make excuses…

MA: Yeah. Even now, I’ve tried to be realistic. I could hold on and try to play for England again, but I know in reality I won’t. Even retiring, I don’t feel it’s because I’m not good enough — I still feel I can play. But I get how things are, and the team needs to evolve into another cycle. It’s about being real to myself.

Moeen admitted that he was surprised at how his off-spin game came along after starting out as a batter

He has said that the England team needs to ‘evolve’ with the next generation, which involves him stepping aside

NH: Would you have thrived if you’d played more under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes?

MA: Definitely. I’d have enjoyed it. There was a period, when I first retired from Tests in 2021, that I didn’t enjoy the way we were playing, or the way I was. It wasn’t as much fun. These guys just bring the fun. I was pretty level most of the time, but I didn’t always enjoy batting at No 8. I felt I was wasting my batting.

NH: When did you begin to feel like a Test match spinner?

MA: If I wasn’t batting well, I knew why, technically or mentally. My bowling, I never quite understood. I had a good year in 2018 when I thought I was in control of it. But I knew I couldn’t hold an end up, or go at two an over. My best ball could get anyone out, even Virat Kohli. That was why I did OK as a spinner.

NH: What were your attributes as a white-ball cricketer?

MA: The fact I could bat from opener down to seven. Not many can do that. I also offered off-spin, which isn’t very desirable. I didn’t thrive under pressure when we were chasing, but I felt I could take teams down.

NH: Was Eoin Morgan the best captain you played under?

MA: No doubt. Morgs was outstanding. I remember getting caught on the boundary soon after he became captain. I said to him: ‘I should have knocked it for one.’ He said: ‘Nah, next time it needs to go out of the ground.’ I thought: OK, this guy is interesting. I’m terrible if someone says don’t do this or that — I’ll end up doing it.

He was outstanding at getting the best out of players. It was amazing to be part of that. That’s the sad thing about finishing with England, because I know they were the best days of my life.

The all-ronder described World Cup winning capain Eoin Morgan (right) as the best captain he has ever played under

He spent much of his career playing alongside Adil Rashid (right) – both players are British Asians and Muslims

NH: You and your good mate Adil Rashid are both British Asians and Muslims. Has it sat comfortably being a role model?

MA: It’s something I never thought about much at first. I just played. And then you think a bit more about who you’re representing. Kids look up to you for inspiration, in terms of changing mindsets in Asian families. A lot of the time it’s about being a doctor or whatever, but cricket is an amazing career. There’s a burden as well, because you’re constantly being looked at. But even if only a couple of people out there were inspired by us, we can be proud.

NH: Does cricket still face challenges in terms of integrating other communities, or are we moving on?

MA: We’re moving on. The challenges are more in the person and the family. My dad always said to me: ‘If you’re good enough, you’ll play. If you bang the door down and do well enough, they’ll have to pick you.’ That’s the mindset we had. Even though I’m quite laidback, I still have that determination to prove people wrong.

NH: Your all-round stats are up there with the best. Do people forget how good a cricketer Moeen Ali was?

MA: People forget the impact you make in games. It might only have been 20 or 30, but it was a crucial 20 or 30. For me, it was about making an impact. I know what I brought to the side, on and off the field. As long as I felt people enjoyed watching me play, whether or not I did well, I was happy with that.

NH: What was your greatest moment?

MA: Winning the Ashes and two World Cups was great, but from an individual point of view it was my Test hat-trick against South Africa at the Oval to win us the game. And I’m proud to have the fastest T20 50 for England (16 balls v South Africa in 2022).

NH: Is Brendon McCullum the right person to take the white-ball team forward?

MA: 100 per cent. More than anything, it’s important for Jos Buttler, who needs the help McCullum can give him. Jos has a lot on his plate — captain, keeper, our best batsman. McCullum can take that away from him and make him enjoy it a bit more, because Jos can get down quickly.

He scored over 3,000 Test runs for England in the longest format, last featuring in the Ashes

Now, he will go onto play more franchise cricket before bringing his playing career to a close

NH: People are wondering about Test cricket’s future. What advice do you give to young players?

MA: Try to be a good red-ball player first, establish your basics. When you only play white-ball cricket, you don’t know what to fall back on a lot of the time. You need those foundations.

NH: What does the future look like for you?

MA: A bit of franchise cricket, 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. I hope people remember me as a free spirit. I played some nice shots and some bad shots, but hopefully people enjoyed watching me.