Moeen Ali confirms not being part of England’s Test tour of India despite McCullum’s plea

London, Aug 3: Veteran off-spin all-rounder Moeen Ali has confirmed he will not be a part of England’s Test tour of India next year despite head coach Brendon McCullum’s plea to be a part of it.

Ali came out of Test retirement taken in September 2021 after Jack Leach was ruled out of the Ashes due to a stress fracture in the back. He played four matches in the thrilling Ashes series, before going back to retirement from Tests after England won The Oval Test by 49 runs against Australia.

“They knew from the start. Especially when those Indian venues came out! Baz asked me again when I had my day off on the second day. I said no. I’m not going (to India). There’s no way I’m going. That’s me done. It’s nice to finish like this and be part of an amazing day,” Ali was quoted as saying by the ICC.

England’s next Test assignment after drawing the Ashes 2-2 is a five-match series trip to India from January 25 to March 11 next year, with Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamshala being the venues.

“I still don’t believe I’ve done that well, but it was great to finish like this. It was daunting, but I had nothing to lose, it was a free hit. I had a call from Baz and Stokesy, I felt like I was bowling alright, but the finger was the only issue. I wasn’t worried about the bowling,” he added.

As of now, the 35-year-old has played 68 Tests for England, amassing 3,094 runs with five centuries and 15 fifties, apart from taking 204 wickets with his off-spin. Recently, England were docked 19 World Test Championship points for slow over-rate, making the tour of India all more crucial for getting points.

“Test cricket is the best cricket. I wish I could rewind time. Although my career has been a bit up and down, I wouldn’t change it. I loved it. I would have regretted it later in life. It was quite daunting because I’ve never done well against Australia,” concluded Ali.