Moeen Ali has announced that he will retire from English domestic cricket after the 2025 T20 Blast, opting to skip The Hundred this year. The 37-year-old, who retired from international cricket in September, continues to participate in franchise leagues worldwide but will now step away from the English game to explore further opportunities abroad.
His decision is influenced by the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) No-Objection Certificate (NOC) policy, which limits player availability for overseas leagues during the English summer.
Currently in the third year of his contract with Warwickshire, Moeen will take on a player-coach role with Birmingham Bears during the T20 Blast, accelerating his transition into coaching. However, if the Bears advance to the knockout stages in September, he is unlikely to feature as a player. Moeen had also captained Birmingham Phoenix in the first four seasons of The Hundred, but he will not return in 2025.
The deadline for Hundred teams to finalize their retentions for the upcoming season passed on Monday, allowing each franchise to secure up to ten players at an agreed salary range. Moeen joins his former England teammate Alex Hales in missing the tournament due to the ECB’s rigid NOC rules.
Hales, who has committed to playing in Major League Cricket and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with the Knight Riders franchise, recently announced he would not return to Trent Bridge this season. Similarly, Moeen may now have the opportunity to rejoin the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL in mid-August after previously playing in the tournament.
Birmingham Phoenix will see further changes beyond Moeen’s departure. Chris Woakes is reportedly in discussions to join Welsh Fire, while Jamie Smith has been selected as a centrally contracted player for London Spirit. Despite these exits, the Phoenix retain a strong core, narrowly missing out on last year’s final.
Under Dan Vettori’s leadership, the team will field an all-New Zealand pace attack featuring Adam Milne, Tim Southee, and new direct signing Trent Boult, while key players such as Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Ben Duckett, Dan Mousley, Will Smeed, and Benny Howell will remain.
Meanwhile, at least two other teams in The Hundred are parting ways with their captains. London Spirit has replaced Dan Lawrence, who led them for the past two seasons, with newly acquired Kane Williamson, while Lewis Gregory, who captained Trent Rockets to the 2022 title, is expected to return to the March draft.
Moeen will also be part of a refreshed Warwickshire coaching setup during the T20 Blast, working alongside new head coach Ian Westwood and batting coach Matt Walker, who recently left Kent. As he pursues his ECB Level Three coaching certification, Moeen’s involvement in coaching is set to expand. His return from IPL duties with Kolkata Knight Riders will coincide with the start of the T20 Blast on May 30.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
