Moeen Ali Bestowed With Huge Honour Ahead Of First Ashes Test

Moeen Ali made a shock comeback to England’s Test side for the Ashes after having announced his retirement from the format last year.

England all-rounder Moeen Ali received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Windsor Castle. This comes on the back of his inclusion in England’s Ashes squad since their regular spinner, Jack Leach, got injured and was ruled out for the entire summer. Despite not having played red ball cricket for two years, Moeen Ali was drafted into the England squad. However, he missed a training session on Wednesday to attend the OBE ceremony. England Head coach Brendon McCullum had given him permission, as the visit had been pre-arranged.

Moeen Ali said that since the first Test will be held in Birmingham, where he lives, it “made a bit of a difference” in his decision of making a comeback after retiring from the game last year.

Accompanied by his wife Firoza and parents, Munir and Maqsood, Moeen Ali went to Windsor for the ceremony. Dressed in a maroon three-piece suit, Moeen Ali, proudly displayed his medal while smiling.

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Moeen Ali received his OBE from Windsor Castle for his outstanding contributions to cricket. _ pic.twitter.com/sjcTVlObDl — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 15, 2023

With reference to attending the ceremony, Moeen Ali mentioned, “I’ve been trying to book it for a while. I’ve not really been able to find a date before now but I’m still going. I spoke to Baz (McCullum) and he said it was fine.”

Moeen Ali has so far represented England in 64 Test matches, 129 One Day Internationals, and 74 T20 matches. He was named in England's playing XI for the first Test at Edgbaston, scheduled to begin on Friday.

He is set to bat at number eight in the Ben Stokes-led England team as they aim to reclaim the Ashes for the first time since 2015. In addition, he will provide a spin-bowling option for the home team. His selection, however, over more regular red ball spinners caused some controversy.