Moeen Ali relaxed despite ECB not giving him England Test contract

Moeen Ali is relaxed on the loss of his England Test contract and admits he just wants to get back to enjoying batting .

The 32-year-old England spinner stepped away from Test cricket for a break after the first Ashes Test, having been dropped from the squad after scoring just four runs and claiming match figures of 3-172.

Ali has since returned to action for Worcestershire and was in scintillating form as he smashed an unbeaten 121 off 60 balls against Sussex earlier this month to book a place at Vitality Blast Finals Day.

But despite being one of 12 awarded a White-Ball contract covering the year from October 1, he was a noticeable absentee in the Test contract selection.

However, it's a situation Ali is more than happy with, taking himself out of intensity of the format in order to 'sit back' and enjoy the winter.

"It was the ECB's call and obviously you are always a little bit disappointed but I'm not too down about it," Ali exclusively told Sky Sports News. "It is very intense and personally I just want a break from it so I'm pretty chilled.

"This winter I think I will sit back and take myself out of it a bit; relax, refresh and get back to enjoying batting as much as I can.

"When I come to Worcestershire I have that responsibility and I'm really enjoying my cricket at the minute."

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'I'll be ready if called upon'

Nevertheless, Ali has left the door open to play in England's tour of New Zealand in November as well as looking at playing in next year's IPL.

"There's still a lot of cricket to be played so for me it's about making sure that I'm playing well and that I'm fresh and ready to go for my country when I am needed," Ali added.

"Depending on how I feel I might be ready to come back straight for or after the New Zealand tour….I've not really discussed it too much and I'm just taking my time."

"The IPL is a competition I really enjoy though, you are playing with and against the best players in the world and if I'm still retained I'd love to keep playing in it."

Watch England's tour of New Zealand live on Sky Sports Cricket this November. For more details click here.