McCullum messaged me asking if I was 'in': Moeen Ali drops huge bombshell, says 'door is open' for England Test return

In a huge revelation, England's Moeen Ali has said that he and newly-appointed coach Brendon McCullum have had talks about a potential Test comeback for the all-rounder. Moeen, who announced his retirement from Test cricket last summer, has revealed that during the IPL, where he and McCullum were part of different franchises, the two discussed the prospect of the all-rounder's comeback into the England Test fold sometime in future.

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"Baz [McCullum] messaged me asking if I was 'in'," he said. "I have played with him in the Indian Premier League and really enjoyed the way he works. We spoke and he mentioned potentially, in the future, if there is a tour - or whenever, really - would I be available? I said 'call me at the time'. We'll see," Moeen said while speaking to The Guardian and PA Media

"The door is open. But I don't want to disrespect [current England spinner] Jack Leach. It's a difficult job - especially in England - and I know that I back him, I'm right behind him. I don't want to put any pressure there, he's a fantastic bowler."

Moeen walked away from Test cricket in October last year having claimed 195 wickets and scored 2914 runs from 64 Tests. After being neglected from the squad for months and with injury issues mounting, Moeen decided he was done as a Test cricketer, but continued to remain an integral part of England's white-ball set-up. In between, there were reports that Moeen did not enjoy playing under Joe Root but the England all-rounder played down any such speculation.

"I saw the suggestion of me not enjoying Joe Root's captaincy but I did, he was always good to me. He's a friend of mine and a great guy. When I retired, I was finding it hard to get going. I had a few niggles, I was tired, I wasn't enjoying it as much as I should," added Moeen.

"But playing for England is amazing, especially at home. And even though it's sad Chris Silverwood went as head coach and Root stepped down as captain, it's always exciting when there is a new chapter. Brendon is a straight, honest guy, we've had a chat and maybe in the future, potential tours or whatever, who knows?"