Moeen Ali says the Hundred should be postponed until 2021
England allrounder Moeen Ali believes that It would be better for the launch of The Hundred to be delayed until 2021. There are lots of meetings via video conference call, Discussions are ongoing ahead of the likely postponement of the competition’s inaugural edition, with no professional cricket likely to be played before the beginning of July at the earliest. England cricket chief Tom Harrison says the controversial Hundred has become “even more important” due to the economic damage from coronavirus ahead of a meeting that will decide the fate of the new competition.
Moeen Ali says:
As players, we want the Hundred played with all the best players around the world available to come and play, so it makes more sense that way. It is probably going to be too much to squeeze in the last couple of months of the season. It would be hard work to squeeze in the Hundred as well. It is such a big deal for us in this country and we want it to be played when everything is right and no problems around the world. The allrounder admitted that the issue of when cricket might be able to resume was “a tough one”, given the circumstances.
Of course, we want, everyone wants us to be playing cricket but if things are not safe it would be very difficult to get players to play. We’d have to get advice from specialists. It would be very interesting. I don’t know. At the moment it’s too early. I’m sure the England Cricket Board (ECB) is considering this and speaking to other people as well. The ECB is very open with us and we’re having a lot of dialogue about what we want and what they want. I’m not sure. There’s still some time to go.
Hopefully sport will be back on soon but when the time is right, everyone is safe and the players don’t feel like they’re going out to play and they might get it. With so many people dying around the world and in this country, in particular, it’s difficult for the players to areally switch on. We played in the PSL the last two or three games with no one in the crowd and it was so bad. It’s different and it’s not quite the same.
He explained that getting to grips with playing without the atmosphere provided by an empty venue had been a challenge. For players who are used to playing in front of big crowds and rin the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in particular, there were such big crowds, you’ve gone from one extreme to no one there watching.
It was very difficult to get yourself up for the game. I don’t know what it would be like in an international game but it was so different. It felt like those warm-up games you play before a big series. It’s not ideal. Not everybody wants to play in an empty stadium. But it will probably have to be the case for a while. It was very difficult to play in an empty stadium.
For sure, if I got the call tomorrow to play, I would put my hand up. I will be available to play any cricket now. I’ve got to play and get my place back. I’ve missed playing cricket so I would want to play. The Australia game at Edgbaston was tough but before then I had a good year with the ball. I was a little bit disappointed but I also understood and I moved on quickly.
It gave me the opportunity to look at other options in terms of playing less cricket, playing T20, and getting the enjoyment back in my cricket. I did fall out of love with the longer format and it allowed me to take a break from it and see if I wanted to play again or not. I would like to play again. I just felt, maybe it was my own thing, you get into a negative space in your mind and think you’re getting the blame for everything and everyone is looking at you.
I felt, even when I was playing, that if we lost the game or 54 all out or 82 all out that it was my shot that lost it. It was highlighted even more or my mistake with the bat. We’d be bowled out for 50 and it was always my face on there. I did feel that. I absolutely love Test cricket and I just almost had a fresh start and that’s hopefully what has happened over the last year or so, it’s probably made me a better bowler. It’s put me in a better mindset.
I don’t want to keep going on about it now, I just want to move forward and trying to enjoy my cricket and again. When I first played for England, I remember telling myself that I wasn’t going to let anything affect me. Probably the last year or so that I was playing I did do that. It’s just going back to basics and almost playing like I was a kid again, enjoying my cricket and not thinking too much about what people say or write about me anymore.
It was the ideal place to bowl and get back into Test cricket. Then I thought about it and it didn’t feel right from a personal point of view to play. To allow other guys to go and do potentially quite well over there, that doesn’t affect me too much. If someone is doing well, Bessy bowled well in South Africa, Leachy bowled well before that, it doesn’t cross my mind in terms of having to bowl well because I want my spot back and stuff. As long as England is winning and doing well then it doesn’t matter who is the main spinner or anything like that. I still back myself to get back into the side and some stage. It’s obviously worked out that no games were played in Sri Lanka and I know those guys are ahead of me, the door is still open to perform and get back in.
