Ali had reversed his decision to retire from Test cricket ahead of the clash with Australia. The 35-year-old opted to join the squad after Jack Leach was ruled out with a back injury.
And he has now confirmed that he will retire alongside fellow England icon Broad following a remarkable fifth test at Edgbaston. Broad’s two wickets sealed an England victory in their final match, concluding a 2-2 Ashes result.
Broad was given a standing ovation by the crowd after dragging England over the line. And the 37-year-old asked Ali to join him as he lapped up the adulation, in a clear sign that the latter would also be bowing out of the game.
“Special mention to Moeen Ali,” Broad said during his interview with Sky Sports. “I suppose he’s not officially announced his retirement, that he’s moving on. But we walked off together and he’s been such a special friend.
“For him to put in that sort of performance to help England win an Ashes test will be a dream come true for him.”
Ali later joked that he will delete further SOS calls from captain Ben Stokes if he is needed for the 2025 Ashes series. “I am done,” he said. “If Stokesy messages me again, I will probably delete it.”
He added: “Obviously, it was great to come back. When he messaged me I was a little bit taken aback by it, but I hadn’t heard the news about Leachy at the time.
“When I said yes I was fully into it. I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s been an amazing experience to play under Stokesy and [Brendan McCullum]. It was great fun.
“I knew [physically] it was going to be a challenge, rather than the mental side. I knew mentally it was going to be really tough anyway. But it was more the physical side, obviously the finger [injury] but just the body as well, as much as anything.
“I’ve loved it. I’m so glad that I said yes to Stokesy and it’s been an amazing experience – I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.”
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