LONDON: England’s World Cup-winner Moeen Ali has retired from international cricket, with the 37-year-old insisting: “I’ve done my part.”
The spin-bowling all-rounder, in an interview with Britain’s Daily Mail, said he made the decision after he was overlooked for England’s upcoming white-ball series against arch-rivals Australia.
“I’m 37 years old and didn’t get picked for this month’s Australia series,” Ali told the newspaper.
“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.”
Matthew Mott was sacked as head coach of England’s limited-overs sides in July following woeful title defenses in both the one-day international (ODI) and Twenty20 (T20) World Cups.
And there was further change when both Ali and Jonny Bairstow, who have over 400 England caps between them, were left out of the squads for this month’s T20 and ODI matches against Australia.
Ali, one of the first openly Muslim cricketers to represent England, had already called time in his red-ball international career but said he could have extended a stint in the national set-up that has seen him appear in 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20s.
However, he explained he was “trying to be realistic” about his international future, saying: “I could hold on and try to play for England again, but I know in reality I won’t.
“Even retiring, I don’t feel it’s because I’m not good enough — I still feel I can play. But I get how things are, and the team needs to evolve into another cycle. It’s about being real to myself.”
Having made his reputation as a batsman, Ali said he was “especially” proud of taking 204 Test wickets, adding: “I’m also proud of getting five Test hundreds.
“It’s only five, but it means a lot, especially when I was often down the order.”
As for his future, Ali said he planned to continue playing franchise cricket, but would then like to stay involved in the game as a coach.
“Coaching is something I want to do — I want to be one of the best,” he said.
“I can learn a lot from (England coach Brendon McCullum).
“I hope people remember me as a free spirit. I played some nice shots and some bad shots, but hopefully people enjoyed watching me.”
England’s Moeen Ali retires from international cricket
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England’s Moeen Ali retires from international cricket
- The spin-bowling all-rounder says he made the decision after he was overlooked for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia
- Ali, one of the first openly Muslim cricketers to represent England, had already called time in his red-ball international career
Irate Carlsen pushes away camera after World Blitz Championships loss
- Carlsen, world champion between 2013 and 2023, had a frustrating second day at the championships in Doha on Saturday
DOHA: Magnus Carlsen pushed away a camera after losing to Vladislav Artemiev at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Qatar, the latest example of the former world champion letting his vexation boil over.
Carlsen, world champion between 2013 and 2023, had a frustrating second day at the championships in Doha on Saturday, splitting a point with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave before he was beaten by Artemiev.
When a photographer followed as Carlsen stormed out of the venue, the Norwegian pushed away the camera.
Carlsen attracted attention for slamming his fist on the table after losing to world champion Gukesh Dommaraju at the Norway Chess 2025 tournament.
Also last year, he briefly quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York when governing body FIDE barred him from a round for wearing jeans.
FIDE does not plan any action against Carlsen for Saturday’s outburst but will review the incident if a complaint is launched, CEO Emil Sutovsky told Reuters.
Despite his defeat, Carlsen is still in contention for the title at the championships and sits in joint second with seven points alongside Alexey Sarana, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Artemiev and Hans Niemann share the lead in the open category on 7.5.
