Moeen Ali announced retirement from international cricket
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Moeen Ali, the England allrounder, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 37. In an interview with the *Daily Mail* published on Saturday, Ali confirmed his decision to step away from the sport after a long and successful career representing England. Born in Birmingham, Ali made his debut in 2014 and went on to play in 68 Test matches, 138 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and 92 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), with his final international appearance taking place in June.
Reflecting on his decision, Ali explained, "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." Ali expressed that stepping aside now made sense as he had contributed significantly to England cricket.
Ali, the first cricketer of Asian origin to captain England in T20Is, has had a distinguished career. He scored five centuries in Test cricket and three in ODIs while taking 366 wickets across all formats. He was also part of England's victorious squads in the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World Cup in 2022.
In addition to these achievements, Ali holds the record for England's fastest half-century in T20Is, reaching 50 runs in just 16 balls against South Africa in 2022. Reflecting on his career, Ali expressed pride in what he had accomplished, stating, "When you first play for England, you don’t know how many games you are going to play. So to play nearly 300 … I know they were the best days of my life."
