I felt like a scapegoat but I'm over it now- Moeen Ali
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|| CF Correspondent ||
England all-rounder Moeen Ali said that he is ready to play Test cricket again and would return "tomorrow" if England gave him a call.
But, writing in his Guardian column, Ali revealed that cricket's coronavirus-enforced break had given him a chance to reassess.
"I think I'd probably be ready now, to be honest," said the Worcestershire player, who has taken 181 wickets and scored 2,782 runs in 60 Tests.
"Clearly I would have to be playing well and win a spot back on merit but in terms of being available - and obviously I'm speaking hypothetically - if there was a Test match tomorrow and I got the call, I'd say 'yes'.
"We're all missing cricket right now and the coronavirus makes you realise what you love. It could take out the whole summer and that would be a big thing."
The all-rounder, 32, is on a self-imposed break from the longest form and has not played a Test since being dropped during The Ashes.
Ali said that he is better equipped to deal with negativity as he now under the importance of filtering negative comments out of his system
"With so much happening in the world right now, this has been time to reflect. This current break has made me realise that when you find yourself surrounded by a few negative comments, somehow it's all you can focus on. You have to be mentally stronger and filter more of it out,’’ said Ali.
‘’I may have felt like a scapegoat at times in the past but I'm over it now. It's time to move on'
Ali spoke candidly to Sky Sports earlier this winter about feeling so burnt out by Test cricket that he hoped to be dropped during the Ashes and the blame he felt was put on him when England suffered defeats.
Moeen told Sky Sports that he was hoping he would be dropped in the Ashes after feeling 'burnt out' by Test cricket
However, adding in his Guardian article, the spinner says he is now better at dealing with the press and any "negative comments" he may encounter.
"With so much happening in the world right now, this has been time to reflect," added Ali.
"This current break has made me realise that when you find yourself surrounded by a few negative comments, somehow it's all you can focus on. You have to be mentally stronger and filter more of it out.
"You realise you don't know how long you are on earth and so what people might say about you really doesn't matter.
"If that's someone in the media talking about your cricket, they're just doing their job and there is no point getting affected.
"It's almost been a case of forgiving anyone who has ever said anything I didn't like and now looking to start afresh when we get back playing.
"I may have felt like a scapegoat at times in the past but I'm over it now. It's time to move on."
