da betsson： Spinner approached about coming out of retirement following Jack Leach injury
da stake casino： Vithushan Ehantharajah and Matt Roller05-Jun-2023Moeen Ali is considering a return to Test cricket for the Ashes.The offspinning allrounder, who retired from the format at the end of the 2021 summer, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he has been approached by the England management to answer a mayday call after Jack Leach was ruled out of the five-match series with a back stress fracture.Moeen, 35, has amassed 67 Test caps, scoring 2914 runs and taking 195 wickets at an average of 36.66. His decision to step away from the format came with a view to focusing solely on limited-overs cricket, believing his race had been run in long-form cricket, partly because of issues with his spinning finger. His final Test, against India at the Oval in September 2021, was also his last first-class match.Related
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Since then, he has helped England win the 2022 T20 World Cup and secured a second IPL title with Chennai Super Kings earlier this year. He has also returned to his home county, Warwickshire, from Worcestershire, and is currently captaining their T20 side, Birmingham Bears, in the Vitality Blast. He is also due to undertake media duties for the Ashes.Replacing Leach would be no mean feat. The Somerset spinner has played all 13 Tests under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, with 45 dismissals – no Englishman has more – and sending down 515.1 overs, more than any other bowler in the world in that time.Following the 10-wicket win over Ireland at Lord’s England will only meet up for training for the first Test at Edgbaston a week on Tuesday, after a team-bonding trip to Loch Lomond this weekend. As such, a decision on Leach’s replacement does not need to be made imminently.Moeen does not have a great record against Australia, with 20 dismissals across 11 matches at an unflattering average of 64.65. That is a little better at home (47.86) with 15 wickets in six Tests, 12 of those coming in 2015 during England’s last successful Ashes campaign. He was dropped after the first Test of the 2019 series.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo during the IPL, Moeen said he believed his bowling was returning to something close to his best after falling away since his Test retirement. He took nine wickets at 21.66 during the tournament.”I actually feel like there’s things I’ve been missing over the last couple of years,” he said. “I’ve just started to get it back again: a bit of rhythm in my action.”When I was playing Test matches, I always felt like I was bowling well in white-ball cricket. You can kind of lose that rhythm, I guess. I think I’ve got to have that mindset of still bowling with that same energy as I would have done in Test matches.”Moeen spent two months alongside Stokes at CSK•BCCI
Speaking on Monday, Stuart Broad championed Moeen’s qualities, regarding him as an ideal fit for the current regime. “We know Mo is a phenomenal cricketer and someone who would fit into Stokes and Baz’s philosophy beautifully,” Broad told Sky Sports. “I don’t know if he’s being considered by the selectors or if he would consider red-ball cricket again. But he’s a mighty fine cricketer.”McCullum had approached Moeen to come out of retirement last summer, with a view to touring Pakistan in December. That was eventually turned down with Moeen citing an already packed winter schedule with the T20 World Cup and ILT20 commitments with Sharjah Warriors at the start of 2023. At the time, McCullum did not regard Moeen’s lack of red-ball cricket as a barrier for his inclusion.If Moeen turns down the offer this time, consideration will be made to other spinning allrounders in Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed – who both took five-wicket hauls in Pakistan – and Liam Livingstone, who left that tour after sustaining a knee injury in the first Test. Hampshire’s Liam Dawson, a left-arm spinner and accomplished batter, is also an outside shot.Alastair Cook sees Liam Dawson as the “like-for-like” option to replace Leach•Getty Images
“The like-for-like is Liam Dawson,” Alastair Cook, the former England captain, said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He could do exactly the same as Jack Leach [but] he’s a better batsman… but it’s the conservative option, it’s the bloke who could hold an end up and won’t let anyone down. His bowling has got a lot better over the last few years, but that just seems very unlike Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum to take the safe option, the conservative option.”I would probably go for Dawson for that role… but I think England will take the more aggressive. They’re trying to get Moeen. It’s a tough one for Mo because he won’t want to let Ben Stokes down. He’s really close with him. But it’s a big ask. When you know what Test cricket – and certainly an Ashes – can do to you mentally, you’ve got to really want to be out there in the battle.”Obviously in the last few years, he kind of felt like he’d done his time in Test cricket. It’s whether a bit of time away has changed that. It’s easy saying yes over a phone call but actually, when the pressure gets on, do you really want to be there?”
