England head coach Chris Silverwood said that it was the England team management that made the decision for Moeen Ali to return home after just playing one Test match on the twin tours of Sri Lanka and India. Silverwood said that the decision was part of the England team’s rotational policy.
The recently concluded second Test match between India and England at Chennai was Moeen Ali’s first Test since August 2019. He performed well, picking 8 wickets in England’s 317-run defeat and making 49 runs with the bat. However, the news of him going back to England for a break hasn’t gone down well with many England experts and former cricketers.
Moeen Ali Credits: BCCI
The Decision For Moeen Ali To Go Home Was Ours, Says Chris Silverwood
England is managing the workload of their multi-format players in a year which includes a T20 World Cup and an Ashes series, with Moeen now to miss the final two Tests of the India series in Ahmedabad. Ali will be back for the five-match T20I series to be played in Ahmedabad from March 12 onwards.
“We are sorry if the impression we gave was that Moeen is being treated differently to other people. He isn’t, I can guarantee you that. he decision for him to go home was ours, as it was with Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood [who have also been rested for parts of the India series]. We’re happy to own that decision,” Chris Silverwood said.
Chris Silverwood, England head coach (Twitter)
“It was a unique situation with Moeen – he had spent so long in isolation. Having broken back into the team, the question was posed to him [about staying] but ultimately we thought it was the right decision for him to go. We touched base with Mo [on Tuesday night], as did Joe [captain Joe Root], and he is fine. Mo understands we have got his best interests at heart and we are trying to look after him, just like we do with all the other players. We have to prioritize that and we are doing the best we can,” Silverwood added.
Test Cricket Is Really Important To Me, England Not Putting Anything Above Tests: Chris Silverwood
Moeen Ali will be part of the England T20 party which will play five matches against India in preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup late this year. The series will be played in the New Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad.
However, coach Chris Silverwood said that this is a dry run for the England T20 team and nothing comes above Test cricket for him and for the England team.
Captain Eoin Morgan with England team (AP)
“I can guarantee that we are not prioritizing anything above Test cricket. Test cricket is really important to me. It is something Joe and I are very passionate about and we prioritize Tests and T20 equally. We know we have a great opportunity to have a bit of a dry run with the T20 World Cup being in India – it gives us a fantastic opportunity to learn as a group and for the players to experience those conditions,” 45-year-old Silverwood said.
Silverwood also said that he was at peace with the possibility of England players missing the two-Test New Zealand series at home in June to play in the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) edition.
