England on Monday pulled off a sensational victory in the fifth Test against Australia to draw the Ashes series 2-2. The culmination of the closely-fought series also brought an end to the glittering Test careers of Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad. While Broad had announced his retirement during the fifth Test, Ali revealed after the match that he had played his final Test for England.
Moeen Ali, who impressed everyone by batting at number three, also picked up three crucial wickets to pave the way for an England victory in the fifth Test at Oval cricket ground in London.
Ali had come back from his retirement to play for England just before the Ashes series. He said that he was glad to have agreed to come out of his retirement to shoulder the responsibility.
“I’m so glad I came back and said yes,” Ali was quoted by the BBC as saying.
The star cricketer from Birmingham said, “From the first day I came back into the changing room with Baz and Stokesy and to play again with Broad and Jimmy and Woody, it’s been amazing and I’m chuffed that I can finish with a win against Australia with a bit of a helping hand.
“I’ve had a good run and I have really enjoyed playing Test cricket with England and representing everyone in this country. It’s been amazing.”
The fifth Test match saw a fairytale ending for Broad as he bowled the last delivery of his Test career spanning 17 years with a wicket. The last ball faced by him as a batter had gone for a massive six.
Broad has taken 604 wickets in 167 Test matches. He’s only the second fast bowler after James Anderson in the history of Test cricket to take more than 600 wickets. 41-year-old Anderson is just nine short of 700 wickets in 183 Test matches.