Moeen Ali: England cricketer retires from international competitions aged 37

England all-rounder Moeen Ali has called an end to his international cricket career at the age of 37, saying that he feels ‘the time is right’ to book end his time playing for the men’s national team.

He says the decision came about as he wants England to ‘evolve into another cycle’ - indicating that he does not want to hold onto his spot and would rather see it go to a younger player in his stead. Additionally, he also stated his intentions to enter coaching.

He had made his debut for England in 2014, making this the tenth and final year of his time on the international stage. Overall, he scored a total of 3,094 runs in test matches, accumulating a batting average of 28.12. He scored 2,355 runs in One Day Internationals, 1,229 in T20 and 11,514 in First-Class cricket.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Mail, Ali said: “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.

“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.

“Coaching is something I want to do – I want to be one of the best. I can learn a lot from [the England head 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.”