Former England great Mike Gatting has expressed astonishment at Moeen Ali’s unexpected homecoming for the Ashes after he had been out from Test cricket for over two years. Gatting also cautioned that Australia will attempt to target the off-spinning all-rounder.
This week, regular spinner Jack Leach was forced to withdraw from the five-match series with a stress fracture in his back. As a result, the team’s captain, Ben Stokes, and coach, Brendon McCullum, were successful in convincing Ali, 35, to end his retirement from playing in Tests.
Gatting, a courageous batsman who helped England win the Ashes in Australia in 1986-1987, stated that he found it difficult to see why he was recalled to the team.
“When I heard it, I couldn’t quite understand it, because obviously Moeen doesn’t want to play Test cricket and I don’t understand why he wants to come back for this,” Gatting said at a charity event in Bangkok on Thursday. “When I heard it, I couldn’t quite understand it,” Gatting added. “I don’t understand why he wants to come back for this.”
Ali has represented England in 64 Test matches, during which he has taken 195 wickets and scored 2,914 runs. He is a graceful batsman and a more-than-useful spin bowler.
Gatting stated that he believed Stokes and McCullum might have chosen a more forward-looking choice to replace Leach if they had gone with a more daring and aggressive strategy, which they have nicknamed “Bazball.” This strategy has been the defining characteristic of their squad.
“You’ve got a guy called Rehan Ahmed who got five-for in his debut Test against a good Pakistan team, and he’s been doing reasonably well in T20,” Gatting added. “You’ve got a guy called Rehan Ahmed who got five-for in his debut Test against a good Pakistan team.”
“I suppose that they’ve decided to take the safest option possible at this point.”
On his first Test match, which took place in December in Karachi against a formidable Pakistani team, Ahmed, who was just 18 years old at the time, became the youngest player to ever represent England in men’s Test cricket.
However, there are concerns that it could be too early in his career to subject him to the strain and intensity of an Ashes series.
Ali’s career bowling average in Ashes cricket rose from 36.66 to 64.65 thanks to the difficulty of his opponents from Australia, and Gatting warned that Pat Cummins’s team will aim to target Ali. Ali’s career bowling average rose from 36.66 to 64.65.
“He hasn’t played much Test cricket and it’s very difficult to get back into Test cricket when you’ve been out of it for so long,” said Gatting, who is 66 years old. “It’s very difficult to get back into Test cricket when you’ve been out of it for so long.”
“Whoever bowls spin for us, they are going to get after,” said the other team.
Ali will reach the age of 36 before the start of the first test, which will take place on June 16 at his home stadium of Edgbaston.