Moeen Ali open to Test comeback under Brendon McCullum

Moeen Ali retired from red-ball cricket in September last year.

The ongoing Test series between England and New Zealand has already given many talking points and it added another one to this long list when former Test cricketer Moeen Ali opened up on his desire to come back out of retirement and play in Pakistan in a red-ball series in November-December later this year.

Moeen retired from Test cricket in September last year with 2,914 runs and 195 wickets in 64 appearances for England. The all-rounder registered five centuries and five five-fors in the longest form of the game. Moeen has completely turned his focus towards white-ball cricket and is hoping for a berth in the English XI for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

But the southpaw expressed his desire to play in Pakistan, where he has familial roots, and said he will be ready if head coach Brendon McCullum needed him for the red-ball tour.

“When, or if, (England head coach) Baz McCullum wants me, I’ll play in Pakistan. I have played Pakistan Super League out there a few years ago, but it’s not the same, to travel with an England side there and have a family background from that part of the world will be amazing. I know the support and love you can get out there, they love cricket. It’s very appealing for sure,” said Moeen on BBC Test Match Special.

I find it very hard to say no to him, he scares me a little bit: Moeen Ali on Brendon McCullum

Moeen and McCullum had previously shared the dressing room with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL in 2018, and the southpaw believes that the pair of McCullum and Ben Stokes is scary. He also believes if he gets a call from his former RCB teammate he will be happy to do a job for them as he thinks his cricket will suit the attacking mindset of McCullum and Stokes.

“He’s (McCullum) a very difficult person to say no to and I found that very, very hard. He’s very convincing. To be honest, I’d love to play under him and Stokesy. Both of them have that character about them. They’re very aggressive. I think I would suit their cricket a bit more and I think they feel I would suit them as well,” Ali added.

England have not played on Pakistani soil for 17 years and will visit the country for a T20I and Test series later this year.