England all-rounder Moeen Ali is to captain Birmingham Bears in this summer’s T20 Blast.
England’s one-day vice-captain, 35, will succeed Carlos Brathwaite, who skippered the Bears in 2022.
Like Bears overseas signing Glenn Maxwell, Moeen will miss the start of the Blast because of his Indian Premier League commitments.
The T20 Blast season begins on Friday, 20 May, when wicketkeeper Alex Davies will deputise in his absence.
The IPL final is pencilled in for Saturday, 28 May and, if either Moeen’s side Chennai Super Kings or Maxwell’s Royal Chargers Bangalore make it, one or both of them may miss as many as three Bears matches.
Moeen, who won the T20 World Cup with England in November, was in his first season as Worcestershire’s T20 skipper when they won the competition at Edgbaston in 2018.
“I’m really grateful to be given the opportunity to captain my hometown club,” he said. “I grew up just a short walk from Edgbaston.
“I always dreamed of playing at this great stadium when I was a child, and now to be made captain is something special.”
Moeen, who began his professional career with Warwickshire in 2005, spent 16 years at the Pears following his move to New Road in 2007.
But, after making his England debut in all three forms of the game in 2014, his Worcestershire appearances became increasingly limited.
It was announced last July that he was to return to Edgbaston on a white-ball only contract.
Bears head coach Mark Robinson said: “Moeen is not only an extremely talented cricketer, but a leader on and off the pitch.
“Anyone who has spent time with Mo talks positively about his ability to motivate a team, while staying calm in the most pressurised moments.”
Source – BBC Sport
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