"I've done my part" - Moeen Ali retires from international cricket

Moeen Ali, 37, has announced his retirement from international cricket but will continue playing in franchise leagues around the globe. The spin-bowling all-rounder, who last played for England during the T20 World Cup earlier this year, hasn’t been picked in the squad for the Australia series.

"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,” Moeen told Daily Mail.

Moeen made his debut for England in all three formats in 2014 and went on to play 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is. He ends his career with 6678 runs and 366 wickets across all three formats. He was part of England’s set-up that won the 2019 ODI World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup. 

"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.

"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.

"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."

So, what next for Moeen? 

“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 [Brendon McCullum]. I hope people remember me as a free spirit. I played some nice shots and some bad shots, but hopefully people enjoyed watching me."

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