February 16, 2026 09:22 pm (IST)
Follow us:
The Ashes
London/UNI: England spin bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali has come out of retirement to be added to the Ashes squad for the first two Tests.
Moeen, who had retired from the longer format in 2021, reversed his decision following discussions with Test captain Ben Stokes, Head Coach Brendon McCullum and Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket Rob Key.
He replaces Jack Leach, who was ruled out of the five-match series after sustaining a low back stress fracture.
"We reached out to Mo (Moeen Ali) early this week about returning to Test cricket," said Key.
"Having had a couple of days to reflect, Mo is excited to join the squad and play Test cricket again. His vast experience, along with his all-round ability, will benefit our Ashes campaign," he said.
“We wish Mo and the rest of the squad well for the Ashes campaign,” Key added.
Moeen has played 64 Tests so far, picking up 195 wickets and scoring 2914 runs and will be looking to better the stats.
England will reach Birmingham on June 12, beginning practice at Edgbaston from June 13. The first Test will begin from Friday, June 16.
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Joe Root, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Dan Lawrence, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Josh Tongue, Moeen Ali.
Ashes schedule
1st Test: England v Australia, 16-20 June, Edgbaston, Birmingham
2nd Test: England v Australia, 28 June-2 July, Lord’s, London
3rd Test: England v Australia, 6-10 July, Headingley, Leeds
4th Test: England v Australia, 19-23 July, Old Trafford, Manchester
5th Test: England v Australia, 27-31 The Oval, London.
2nd Test: England v Australia, 28 June-2 July, Lord’s, London
3rd Test: England v Australia, 6-10 July, Headingley, Leeds
4th Test: England v Australia, 19-23 July, Old Trafford, Manchester
5th Test: England v Australia, 27-31 The Oval, London.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
Latest Headlines
England edge past Italy despite Ben Manenti’s stunning counter-attack in T20 World Cup
Mon, Feb 16 2026
Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Yousuf blast PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi after Pakistan’s humiliating T20 World Cup loss to India
Mon, Feb 16 2026
Shock exit, star returns: Steve Smith replaces Hazlewood in T20 WC squad ahead of crucial Sri Lanka match
Mon, Feb 16 2026
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi leaves stadium mid-match as India crush Pakistan in T20 World Cup clash
Mon, Feb 16 2026
T20 World Cup: Kishan’s 77 sparks carnage as India crush Pakistan by 61 runs, storm into Super 8
Sun, Feb 15 2026
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set to break all barriers — Most accessible edition ever!
Sat, Feb 14 2026