Former England cricketer Mark Butcher has criticized the decision to recall all-rounder Moeen Ali from retirement for the upcoming Ashes series. The move was prompted by Jack Leach’s unfortunate injury, leading England to bring back Moeen despite having other viable options available. However, Butcher expressed his confusion over the decision, citing Moeen’s two-year absence from red-ball cricket and his underwhelming performance in Test matches as reasons that did not justify his recall to the national team.
Butcher Said
“I’m slightly baffled by the whole thing. There’s a lot of hoping going on… Jack Leach, is a holding bowler for Ben Stokes right? Moeen Ali has never been a holding bowler in his entire career and has not played any red-ball cricket for two years. His Ashes record is pretty bad with bat and with the ball, and he has had no interest in playing long-form cricket ever since his retirement.
It’s not like you’re bringing Michael Jordan out of retirement, is it? You’re not bringing somebody back who had a Botham’s Ashes in ’81, you’re bringing back someone who’s kind of done okay at times, and those times were a very long time ago,” Butcher said speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast.
Butcher feels that England benefits from the decision to reinstate Moeen Ali in the red-ball setup, despite his criticism of the move. He added more doubts to the decision by bringing up the spinners, who are performing well in first-class cricket. He also made a suggestion that youthful Rehan Ahmed, who made an impression during the tour of Pakistan last year, had been left out.
“I hope it goes well, I honestly do. I hope it’s brilliant and that I eat every single one of those words. I’m just saying it’s a massive risk, huge. What is the point of having guys playing first-class cricket? What’s the point of giving guys debuts in subcontinental conditions? What’s the point of anybody if all you do is overlook every single one of them and pick someone who doesn’t really want to play the format?” he stated further.
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