Moeen Ali set to skip Hundred as part of English domestic retirement

Moeen Ali set to skip Hundred as part of English domestic retirement

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Moeen Ali plans to retire from English domestic cricket after the T20 Blast and will not participate in The Hundred in 2025. The 37-year-old, who announced his international retirement in September, seeks more overseas opportunities, as current ECB policies restrict player movement during the English summer. Currently under contract with Warwickshire, Moeen will assume a player-coach role at Birmingham Bears during the T20 Blast. He may return to Guyana Amazon Warriors in mid-August and joins fellow player Alex Hales in skipping The Hundred. Moeen is also pursuing ECB coaching qualifications and will assist Warwickshire’s new coaching staff.

Moeen Ali plans to retire from English domestic cricket after the T20 Blast and will not participate in the Hundred in 2025, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
Moeen, aged 37, has actively participated in franchise leagues since he announced his retirement from international cricket in September. His choice to exit English cricket will allow him to pursue more opportunities abroad as he approaches the concluding stages of his career, especially given the ECB’s restrictions on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) that could hinder his availability during the English summer.

Currently in the third and final year of his contract with Warwickshire, Moeen is set to transition into coaching during this year’s T20 Blast, taking on a player-coach role with Birmingham Bears, and has opted out of the Hundred. It remains uncertain whether he will play in the knockout rounds in September if the Bears qualify.

Moeen has led Birmingham Phoenix for the first four seasons of the Hundred but will not be in their squad for 2025. The eight franchises in the Hundred had a deadline until 1pm on Monday to finalize their player retentions for 2025, retaining up to 10 players in both the men’s and women’s competitions within a mutually agreed salary range.

Moeen joins his former England teammate Alex Hales in not participating in the Hundred this year due to the ECB’s strict policy on NOCs, aimed at preventing players from selectively choosing which leagues to join during the English summer. James Vince, the captain of Hampshire, recently voiced his concerns regarding this policy in an ESPNcricinfo interview, after declaring his retirement from red-ball cricket ahead of the current season.

Hales announced last week that he would not play at Trent Bridge this season, opting instead for signing with the Knight Riders franchises in the Major League Cricket and Caribbean Premier League. Moeen’s decision may lead him back to Guyana Amazon Warriors in mid-August, having played for the franchise in both the CPL and the first Global Super League last year.

Moeen is not alone in departing from the Phoenix; Jamie Smith and Chris Woakes are also set to leave. ESPNcricinfo has reported that London Spirit has targeted Smith as their designated centrally contracted player, while Welsh Fire are believed to be considering signing Woakes.

The Phoenix’s men’s team narrowly missed out on the final last season but has retained a solid core of players. Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Ben Duckett, Dan Mousley, Will Smeed, and Benny Howell will all remain, while Dan Vettori’s team will field a pace attack featuring all-New Zealand bowlers Adam Milne, Tim Southee, and newly signed Trent Boult.

Moeen, who is working towards his ECB Level Three coaching qualifications, will be part of a revamped coaching setup at Warwickshire during the Blast, with Ian Westwood taking over as head coach from Mark Robinson and Matt Walker coming in as batting coach after his tenure at Kent. The Blast kicks off on May 30, shortly after Moeen completes his IPL commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders.

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