AGENCY
NEW DELHI, Feb 24
Moeen Ali intends to retire from English domestic cricket after the T20 Blast and will skip the Hundred in 2025, ESPNcricinfo has learned.
Moeen, 37, has remained active on the franchise circuit since announcing his international retirement in September. His decision to quit English cricket will enable him to take up further opportunities overseas as he heads into the final stages of his career, with the ECB’s policy on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) otherwise limiting his movement during the English summer.
Now in the third and final year of his contract with Warwickshire, Moeen will accelerate his move into coaching during the T20 Blast this year with a player-coach role at Birmingham Bears and has decided to skip the Hundred. It is not yet clear whether he will be available for the knockout stages in September, should the Bears qualify.
Moeen has captained Birmingham Phoenix across the first four seasons of the Hundred but will not play for them in 2025. The eight Hundred teams had until 1pm on Monday to finalise their retentions for 2025, keeping hold of up to 10 players in both the men’s and women’s competitions at a mutually-agreed salary band.
Moeen joins his long-time England team-mate Alex Hales in skipping the Hundred this year as a result of the ECB’s hardline stance on NOCs, which is designed to stop players picking and choosing which leagues they play in during the English summer. James Vince, Hampshire’s captain, recently spoke out about the stance in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, after confirming his retirement from red-ball cricket ahead of this season.
Hales confirmed last week that he will not play at Trent Bridge this year, and has instead signed with the Knight Riders franchises in Major League Cricket and the Caribbean Premier League.
Moeen’s decision could see him return to Guyana Amazon Warriors in mid-August, having represented the franchise in the CPL and the inaugural Global Super League last year.
Warwickshire confirmed ESPNcricinfo’s story on Monday afternoon. “This is a big decision for me and not one I’ve taken lightly,” Moeen said in a club statement. “But I’ve reached a decision in the last few days, taking into account what I feel is best for me and my family at this stage in my career.
“I’m still passionate about the game and want to play as much as I can. I still love playing. I still have passion for the game and I love being in a team environment. “I also enjoy talking to players about cricket, the tactics, and I think that’ll help me move smoothly into coaching after my playing days are over.
“I came back to Warwickshire with an aim of trying to help them win the Blast and I still want to play a role this year. I’ll be available to play throughout the Blast group games, and would love to be involved as a player-coach.”
