Former England National Cricket team star Moeen Ali now donning the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) jersey in IPL 2025, has opened up about the complexities of retirement for ageing players making a bold distinction between international cricket and franchise leagues.

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Having retired from international cricket in September last year Moeen emphasized the need for self-awareness and team-first mindset when representing a nation.

“Franchise cricket is one thing… you can continue playing if the franchise is fine with it. But when you’re representing a country, be it a Test or an ODI, the self-reflection should be harder,” Moeen said.

The veteran all-rounder who has won major titles including the Ashes, ODI World Cup, and T20I World Cup for England, admitted that if England had been a franchise team he would’ve still continued playing. However the respect and responsibility of international cricket led him to step aside.

“If England was a franchise, I would have carried on playing because I know I am capable. But because it's international cricket… I retired to make way.” he added.

"I definitely think you shouldn’t just hold on because you’re a big name or you have a massive following. And it should never be your own personal goals. Don't just hold on for the sake of holding on in a selfish way. Just be a bit more realistic and think, is it worth me holding on? Have I got more to give to the team? If the team wants to go in a new direction, I think you should allow that to happen," Moeen stated.

"If you're not performing and you're at that age where you're a bit older and there’s younger players coming through and they're probably playing better than you right now. It doesn't mean they're better than you now, but they’re playing better than you. Then you should be a bit more realistic and honest with yourself," he added.