England allrounder Moeen Ali has signed for Cape Town Blitz in this year’s Mzansi Super League. He joins as cover for Wahab Riaz and will be available for the first two games of the competition.
Moeen missed out on a Test central contract with England for 2019-20, after opting to take a break from the longest format, and has been rested for the T20I series in New Zealand. “I feel like I want to enjoy my batting and this will give me a bit of a break,” he told ESPNcricinfo last month.
Moeen was part of England’s World Cup-winning squad in the summer and will likely be involved in the white-ball legs of the tour of South Africa after Christmas. After being dropped from the Test squad during the Ashes, he rediscovered his form while leading Worcestershire to within one ball of defending their Vitality Blast title in September.
He has also had two seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, and his signing was hailed by Cape Town Blitz head coach Ashwell Prince.
“Moeen brings huge international experience to the team and in county cricket, he won the T20 Blast in 2018 with Worcestershire Rapids and he led them to the 2019 final, so we’re looking forward to having him in Cape Town,” Prince said.
Moeen said: “I’m very excited to be part of the MSL and joining Cape Town Blitz for the start of the tournament. I’m looking forward to playing with and against some world-class players.”
Wahab, the left-arm seamer, was signed in last month’s MSL draft but is currently involved in Pakistan’s T20I squad in Australia, with the third match of the series overlapping with Cape Town’s opening fixture. He is expected to be available from November 14, when Blitz play their first home game.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo