England all-rounder Moeen Ali has made his intensions clear to regain his spot in the England Test team, admitting that he somewhat lost his passion for the format.
Ali lost his place in Joe Root’s team following England’s defeat by Australia in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston last year and was only handed an ODI contract when the English Cricket Board announced their central contracting list.
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‘The Australia game at Edgbaston was a tough game but before then I had a good year with the ball,’ said Ali.
‘I was a little bit disappointed [on not getting a Test contract] but I also understood and I moved on quickly. It gave me the opportunity to look at other options in terms of playing less cricket, playing T20 and getting the enjoyment back in my cricket.’
Ali was part of the limited-overs squads that toured South Africa at the beginning of the year, with England winning the T20 series against the Proteas.
The left-hander especially made his presence felt in the second clash in Durban with a quick-fired 39 off 11 balls that helped England to a nail-biting victory.
He also made a valuable contribution with the ball in the final ODI at the Wanderers where England claimed a significant victory to level the series.
‘I did fall out of love with the longer format and it gave me the opportunity to take a break from it and see if I wanted to play again or not. I would definitely like to play again,’ Ali added.
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