Stokesy messaged me with a question mark- ‘Ashes?’,“ Moeen Ali Reveals Ben Stokes Could Get Him Back To Test Cricket.
Moeen Ali, the cricketer who has been selected for the Ashes 2023 squad, recently expressed that Ben Stokes was the sole England captain who could have persuaded him to come out of retirement for Test cricket. The conversation between Ali and Stokes took place after Jack Leach, the first-choice spinner, was ruled out of all five Ashes Tests against Australia due to a back injury.
It is worth noting that Moeen had previously announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2021, following the home series against India. His decision was motivated by his desire to focus more on playing white-ball cricket. However, an unexpected turn of events occurred when Stokes reached out to Ali with a single-word message, which was enough to convince the spin-bowling all-rounder to return to England’s Test squad.
Moeen Ali revealed “Stokesy messaged me with a question mark — ‘Ashes?’,“Then the news came through and I had a chat with him,” he said. “That was it. It’s the Ashes. To be part of it would be amazing.”
Reported asked if there was any other captain besides Ben Stokes who could have convinced him to come out of retirement and return to Test cricket, Moeen Replied “Probably not, no,” at end saying “The fact that it is the Ashes and it is such a big series, to be part of it would be amazing,”.