All-rounder Moeen Ali takes break from Test cricket

England Cricketer Moeen Ali missed the central contract for Test cricket as he had taken a break from the longest format of the game, Ashley Giles, the managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Friday.

"He just wants a little bit of a break from Test cricket. I think for all the guys, not just talking about Moeen, it's been a really challenging summer," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Giles as saying.

The all-rounder took a break in the summer after being part of England's ICC World Cup-winning squad and played a Test match against Ireland. He was also included in the first Test of Ashes series bettween England and Australia.

"A World Cup and an Ashes back-to-back have had a massive effect on many of these guys, psychologically as much as physically. Some of those guys are still carrying that. His experience in the first Test wasn't a great one but that's cricket," he added.

But, the 32-year-old will be available for selection for the T20I and ODI format as he was awarded the limited-overs contract.

"He's been a great servant to this team and that's why I encouraged him to leave that option open for him to come back. He might just need that time away and freshen up but he's been a really good servant to this team and he's relatively young," Giles said.