It has been close to five years since the Ashes urn slipped away from England’s hold. Back in 2017-18, the Steve Smith-led Australia took it with a 4-0 triumph at home, scripting the second biggest Test series win of the last decade against the arch-rivals. Since then, Australian cricket went through a lot and witnessed multiple changes in leadership but the urn remained untouched in their cabinet. And now the action is set to unfold in the United Kingdom when the defending World Champions will be challenged by a new-look English side.
Forget the Bazball, which has been the latest language of England’s Test set-up, the team has gone a notch ahead to make sure that the urn remains under the Queen’s reign. Captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum wanted to constitute the best bunch of players this time and in order to do that, they knocked at the doors of Moeen Ali who had already hung up his Test boots back in 2021.
The India series, which ended midway due to a Covid outbreak in the visitor’s camp, was the last for Moeen. The dynamic allrounder decided to part ways with the longest format of the game to sharpen his skills in the shorter and the shortest ones.
But two years later, one day he gets a text from Stokes asking, ‘Ashes?’ and the all-rounder replied ‘LoL’ [Laughing Out Loud]. But the English Test captain was serious in his approach. Meanwhile, Jack Leach got injured and the stars aligned for Moeen’s comeback.
After a triumphant IPL season with Chennai Super Kings, Moeen headed back home and was eventually added to the squad for the first two Ashes Tests.
Former captain and assistant coach Paul Collingwood sees Moeen’s comeback as one the biggest positives for the team. Though the latter has hardly played a red-ball game since calling it quits in Tests in 2021, Collingwood feels that the colour of the ball doesn’t matter at all.
“It’s great to have Moeen back. He’s a great guy, he brings great energy into the team and has a great sense of humour. But not just that, obviously the skillset that he brings in terms of his all-round game. He is exceptional and exciting as well. He’s the perfect mould for England’s new aggressive style of playing cricket. So good to have him back,” Collingwood said in response to a CricketNext query during a select media interaction conducted by Sony Sports Network.
“In terms of Moeen not playing Test cricket for a long time, or the red ball games, it doesn’t matter what colour the ball is, white or red, we’ll ask him to have the same approach. How he loves to play the game of cricket. His natural attacking style,” he added.
Collingwood further said Leach’s contribution cannot be belittled but having Moeen as his replacement is equally satisfying.
“I feel for Jack Leach. He has been a massive heartbeat of this team over the past years and did a fantastic job. We’ve got a replacement in Moeen Ali. It’s exciting to have a guy in the team who has a great record in Tests,” Collingwood said.
Moeen narrates his comeback story
On Tuesday, Moeen addressed a press conference at the Edgbaston and revealed how Stokes convinced him to come out of the Test retirement and join the team for The Ashes.
“Stokesy messaged me with a question mark: ‘Ashes?’ I hadn’t heard the news on Leachy at the time so I just said ‘LOL’, thinking he was taking the mick. Then the news came through and I had a chat with him. That was it,” Moeen told reporters.
“I spoke to Stokesy about how he talks to batters and he said, ‘Look, it would be perfect for the way you play’. There are no question marks over any shots you play which gives me license to play a few more rash shots, I guess.
“I know I go for runs but Stokesy also knows there are some wicket-taking deliveries in between. I have never been able to hold an end up. When I have, it’s when I’ve been taking wickets. That’s the only time I have been able to build any kind of pressure. Ben and Baz [McCullum] know that,” he added.
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