Moeen Ali took England fans on a thrilling rollercoaster ride | Moeen Ali

AEngland’s white-ball teams abandoned the two World Cups they held at the start of last winter, with Moeen Ali the only one to recognise the need to start again. It was time for the next generation to step up, the vice-captain said with typically unassuming honesty, and now, at 37, he has called time on his own international career.

Having been replaced for the upcoming series against Australia by a number of the rookies he had called up, and in the final weeks of his central contract, the news was widely expected. The confirmation came as he watched an Oval Test unfold – the ground where he delivered a match-winning final day performance in Test cricket during last summer’s Ashes, plus the scene of That hat-trick in 2017 – which made it rather fitting.

Not that there’s too much hierarchy for a cricketer who served his country across all formats for 10 years, took supporters on a rollercoaster ride and helped secure two global trophies. It’s just that Test cricket was No. 1 and where a generation got to watch Moeen Ali’s full repertoire on the game’s widest canvas: the juicy drives and the gyroscopic off breaks that dipped and gripped, all with the glorious uncertainty of never knowing whether it would be his day or not.

When it all fell into place, there were few glamorous scenes, all loose and flowing and pure timing. But it was still built on hard work and passion, ever since his father, Munir, built a concrete grid in the garden of his terraced house in Sparkhill, Birmingham and, with the help of his twin brother, Shabir, trained three top-notch professionals from toddler age. Moeen was the product of relentless toil – the 10,000 hours of theory manifesto – he just never compromised on the aesthetics while doing it.

The result was an international career that was as much about moments as it was about numbers. Viewed through the prism of the all-rounder, they still pile up. Moeen is one of only 15 men in history to have scored more than 3,000 Test runs and taken more than 200 Test wickets, and claimed those dual milestones last summer when he answered a Test SOS from Ben Stokes with an “LOL” and emerged from Test retirement for one final job. Five Test centuries were too few for a player of his talent, but still as many as Andrew Flintoff, for example.

While Moeen started out as a batter – 2016, when he hit four Test centuries, was his most stable period in an otherwise yo-yo career – he finished as the third England spinner after Derek Underwood and Graeme Swann to top 200 Test wickets with 204. A fourth innings record with the ball of 63 wickets at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 40 also ranks among the greats. Frontline spinner was never the plan here – it took a while for the title to feel comfortable – but he could still outwit the world’s best.

There have been times, of course, when the returns have been maddening, his form erratic along the way. Australia’s spectators, for example, have never seen the best on their shores, with a poor 2017/18 Ashes, and Nathan Lyon’s hex, their lasting impression. The 2019 World Cup was also a frustrating time after such a central role in the build-up, a combination of poor form and seams on the surfaces that saw him watch the final from the dugout. The medal was still deserved, though, and three years later, as vice-captain to Jos Buttler in the T20 World Cup, a second came his way.

In contrast to his form, Moeen has been nothing but consistent off the field, wearing a fair few hats along the way, be it senior player, vice-captain, consigliere or confidant. He’s an older brother to many in the dressing room – not least Adil Rashid, another pillar of Eoin Morgan’s white-ball generation – and also the icebreaker when a joke is sorely needed.

Guided by his Muslim faith, Kashmiri roots and working-class, inner-city background, Moeen has also been regarded as the best of multicultural Britain throughout his career, accepting an OBE last year. But he has always worn his flag-bearer status lightly and with class. “When I go out on the field for my country, I know there are a lot of people I represent,” he told the Guardian in 2019. “It’s not something I always think about or enjoy all the time, but I know where I stand.”

The good news is that, as well as struggling through the domestic leagues (and being the type of person who will play at club level until he can no longer walk), Moeen has set his sights on coaching. “I want to be one of the best,” he told Nasser Hussain in the newspaper interview in which he confirmed the news. “I can learn a lot from Baz (England head coach Brendon McCullum). I hope people remember me as a free spirit. I’ve made some nice shots and some bad shots, but hopefully people have enjoyed watching me.”

Even if we can give more back to the game, it feels like mission accomplished.