The door is open: Moeen Ali on Test comeback under McCullum

After taking the charge as England’s new Test coach, Brendon McCullum stated that he would make some efforts to bring impactful players like Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone into the English Test side in order to rebuild England’s red-ball fortunes. 

In a recent development, Moeen Ali has revealed his conversation with McCullum regarding this topic. Addressing Planet sport, Moeen said that McCullum had texted him asking if he would be available for selection during England’s future red-ball assignments, to which the veteran allrounder replied that he would definitely consider the proposal if the coach calls him during the course of the series. Further, Moeen confirmed that he hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of his return to Test cricket as he considers it exciting to be a part of a new chapter in life.   

“Baz (McCullum) messaged me asking if I was ‘in’. We’ve had a chat and maybe in the future, potential tours or whatever, who knows? I have played with him in the Indian Premier League and really enjoyed the way he works. We spoke and he mentioned potentially, in the future, if there is a tour or whenever, really - would I be available? I said ‘Call me at the time’. We’ll see – if and when he calls me, we’ll chat. The door is open. It’s always exciting when there is a new chapter and you would like to be a part of it", Moeen expressed. 

Continuing, the experienced spin bowling allrounder dismissed the reports of him not enjoying Test cricket under Joe Root and termed the legendary English batter as a great guy and one of his best mates. The dynamic southpaw also clarified that he was struggling in red-ball cricket due to a few niggles he had at that time, which subsequently led to his test retirement. 

“I saw stuff about me not enjoying it under Rooty, but I did. He was always good to me. As an individual, he’s the best I have had. He’s a friend of mine and a great guy", the Birmingham-born said. "When I retired I just found it hard to get going. I had a few niggles, I was tired, I wasn’t enjoying cricket as much as I should,” the 34-year-old concluded his views on a possible test comeback.