- Moeen Ali has hinted that he may end his ODI career.
- He stated that the World Cup in India is a top priority.
- Moeen is already up against a lot of competition.
After the team’s title defence of the 50-over World Cup 2023, which will be hosted in India later this year, veteran England all-rounder Moeen Ali has hinted that he may end his One-Day International career.
Moeen only plays white-ball cricket for England and in franchise leagues all over the world; he has already retired from Test cricket.
The 35-year-old has stated that the World Cup in India is a top priority, but he has also brought up the possibility of later abandoning the format.
“I don’t set a lot of goals, but I want to play that World Cup, be a part of that World Cup and hopefully win that World Cup and then we’ll see,” he said ahead of Tuesday’s series-ending T20 in Bangladesh.
“I’m not saying I will retire or I’m not saying I won’t retire. Another seven or eight months at 35 is a lot. It could be a time where I’m thinking that’s me done now and I might look at Livingstone and Jacksy and think ‘you know what, my time is up, I’d rather these guys get ready for the next World Cup,” Moeen was quoted as saying by the local media.
Moeen is already up against a lot of competition since players like Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks provide comparable skill sets as powerful batters who also bowl spin.
“I haven’t decided but I have sort of an idea of what I want to try and do. It genuinely makes me really happy when I see players coming in – whatever’s best for us and the side and going to make us champions, that’s more important and that’s the bigger picture really.” Though he is thinking of quitting ODI cricket, Moeen said he will continue to appear around the world as a T20 specialist.
“I think it’s something that’s more logical and just makes more sense. If I’m playing well and playing all the franchise cricket – and playing for England – I don’t see why not. Fifty overs does get harder the older you get, it’s not easy to field and for sure it makes sense that I’ll do that,” Moeen added.
Moeen has earned over 250 caps across all formats of the game.
