Moeen eager for 'fresh start' after ending Test exile

Moeen Ali is keen to make a "fresh start" and regain his place in England's Test side after ending his self-imposed exile from the five-day game.

The off-spinning all-rounder was dropped by England following a poor display in last year's Ashes opener and then lost his England central contract. Moeen then decided to take a break from Test cricket that saw him miss series in New Zealand and South Africa.

He also made himself unavailable for this year's tour of Sri Lanka, cut short before the internationals by the coronavirus, even though he'd taken 18 wickets at an impressive average of 24.5 during England's last visit to the island 18 months ago.

But now, with 181 wickets in 60 Tests behind him, Moeen is ready to fight for his place in Joe Root's XI once again despite the competition from the likes of fellow spinners Jack Leach and Dom Bess.

"For sure if I got the call tomorrow to play I would definitely put my hand up," Moeen told reporters via video link on Wednesday.

"I will be available to play any cricket now. I still back myself to get back into the side at some stage."
"I don't want to keep going on about it now, I just want to move forward and try to enjoy my cricket again."
- PSL problems - ================
"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."