Moeen Ali has spun himself out of Test retirement to try and help England regain the Ashes.
In a dramatic turn of events, the 35-year-old off-spinning all rounder simply couldn't say no to his great mate Ben Stokes after the call was made to see whether he might help out in their hour of need. And following a decision from Moeen that can only be applauded, England now have their Ashes plans back on track.
Jack Leach had become an increasingly reliable and potent weapon in the bowling armoury, but his stress fracture of the back that ruled him out of the entire series exposed England's threadbare spin cupboard leaving Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum in a tricky spot with the first Test just over a week away.
But the pair knew they had one of their most successful Test spinners of all time still operating at a high level in the game, albeit in white ball cricket, and the call had to be made, especially with Stokes having spent plenty of time alongside Moeen at the Chennai Super Kings where he won his second IPL tournament this year.
It would still take a bit of convincing since Moeen had effectively retired twice from Test cricket, firstly following his most recent match in September 2021 and ahead of an Ashes tour that he had no desire to be on, and then a second time last October when the rejuvenation of the Test team had piqued his interest and an approach was made by McCullum.
Even with the chance to play Test cricket in Pakistan, Moeen decided his time playing the format was over and what remained of his career would be in the shorter formats. But that was a different situation. England had the time and space to introduce new spinners under Leach.
Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed all made their debuts on the successful 3-0 tour to Pakistan in December and will surely feature down the track, but their collective four Tests and 13 wickets between them pale into insignificance next to Moeen's 64 caps and 195 wickets.
“We reached out to Mo early this week about returning to Test cricket," said England MD Rob Key. "Having had a couple of days to reflect, Mo is excited to join the squad and play Test cricket again. His vast experience, along with his all-round ability, will benefit our Ashes campaign. We wish Mo and the rest of the squad well for the Ashes campaign.”
Whether this is a one off series for Moeen or the start of a longer period playing Test cricket again with a tour to India next winter is another matter and one that he has not decided on yet.
There are lucrative offers on the table for more T20 cricket in franchises around the world for Moeen which would be seriously hampered by a long term resumption of his Test career, but such is the joy and style of cricket being employed by Stokes and McCullum, it might just be enough to persuade him to keep going for a bit longer.
