English rookie Moeen Ali has a break to return refreshed after quitting England’s 12-man squad for the second Ashes test, which begins at Lord’s on 14 August.
Moeen has been an integral part of the format-overlapping structure in England in recent years. However, the 32-year-old recently suffered a decline, first during the winning English season at the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and then in the two following tests against Ireland and Australia.
Moeen will also be unavailable for Worcestershire on the T20 Blast, where his team is currently in third place. Worcestershire’s First Team coach Alex Gidman confirmed the all-rounder’s decision to follow a frantic international schedule.
Moeen Ali is taking a short break from action after a hectic and high intensity period of international cricket before returning to play 👇https://t.co/Ia5Go4xnHH
— Worcestershire CCC (@WorcsCCC) August 13, 2019
“Mo spends some time off-center charging his batteries and spending some time practicing what he thinks is needed, and we respect them fully,” Gidman said. “He had an intense schedule for international cricket involving the ICC World Cup and the beginning of the ashes.
“Mo loves to play for Worcestershire, and he’ll take everyone in the locker room when he comes back and plays for us, we saw what he’s giving us at Trent Bridge [in the Blast] and we’re looking forward to it if he comes back soon. “
Moeen scored an average of 18.75 with the bat and 46 with the ball during the World Cup. He was dropped in Round Robin after England’s successive defeats against Sri Lanka and Australia. He then returned in the longest format, but managed only 13 runs in four innings with two ducks.
Captain Joe Root supported the Allrounder to rediscover his best soon. “He has a big part in English cricket and he did some fantastic things in a test shirt and it’s certainly not the last thing we’ll see of him,” he said. “He’s a fine character, a great one Man and give this team so much, I’m sure it will not be long before you see him back. “
