“I’m 37 and I haven’t been selected for the Australia series this month,” Moeen said. Daily Mail Interview. “I played a lot of cricket for England. It’s time for the next generation and I had my say. I felt the timing was right. I did my part.”
Since his international debut in 2014, Moeen has played 68 Tests, 138 ODIs and 92 T20Is as an all-rounder. He finishes with 6678 runs, 8 centuries, 28 fifties and 366 wickets for England across all formats. His last international appearance came in the T20 World Cup in Guyana, where England lost to India in the semi-finals.
“I’m very proud. When you first play for England you don’t know how many games you’re going to play. So to play almost 300 games… My first few years were all about Test cricket. When Morgs (Eoin Morgan) took over the one-dayers, that was more fun. But Test cricket was real cricket.
“I’m still trying to be realistic. I could hang in there and play for England again, but realistically I know that’s not possible. If I retire, I don’t think it’s because I’m not good enough. I think I can still play. But I know what’s going on and the team has to evolve into another cycle. It’s important for me to be realistic with myself.”
“People forget the impact you have in a game. It may only be 20 or 30 times, but those are the 20 or 30 that matter. For me, it was important to make an impact. I know what I bring to the team on and off the pitch. As long as people enjoyed watching me play, whether I played well or not, I was happy with that.”
Moin plans to continue playing franchise cricket and hopes to get involved in coaching in the future.
“A bit of franchise cricket, I still love cricket, but coaching is what I want to do. I want to be one of the best. I can learn a lot from Baz (Brendon McCullum). I want people to remember me as a free spirit. I’ve had some good shots and some bad shots, but I want people to enjoy watching me.”
