England all-rounder Moeen Ali has considered a return to red-ball cricket for the upcoming Ashes series at home, given Jack Leach's injury. According to media reports, the England management has reached out to Moeen to answer an SOS call and consider a return from retirement to regain the urn from Australia.
News emerged on Sunday that Leach's back stress fracture has put him out of the Ashes series, having picked it up from the Test against Ireland. Hence, Moeen's name has come up despite the all-rounder giving up Test cricket in 2021 and declining a return to format the very next year.
Having starred in three Ashes series, Moeen has taken 195 scalps in 64 Tests at 36.66. With the bat, the left-hander has managed 2914 runs at 28.29 with five centuries. However, he doesn't have a promising record against Australia, averaging 64.65 with the ball in 11 Tests and 24.25 with the bat. The Warwickshire all-rounder last played a Test against India at The Oval in September 2021.
"I've just started to get it back again: a bit of rhythm in my action" : Moeen Ali
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo during IPL 2023, Moeen said it felt as if he regained that lost rhythm in his bowling, elaborating:
"I actually feel like there's things I've been missing over the last couple of years. I've just started to get it back again: a bit of rhythm in my action. When I was playing Test matches, I always felt like I was bowling well in white-ball cricket. You can kind of lose that rhythm, I guess. I think I've got to have that mindset of still bowling with that same energy as I would have done in Test matches."
Ali, who was part of the Chennai Super Kings, was part of the playing XI in the final that beat the Gujarat Titans.
