The Birmingham-born left-handed batsman and right-arm bowler has played in 68 Tests, 138 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 92 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for England since 2014, with his last international appearance in June.
“I’m 37 years old and I wasn’t selected for the Australia series this month,” Ali said.
“I’ve played a lot of cricket for England. It’s time for the next generation, as it was also explained to me. I felt it was the right time. I’ve done my part.”
Ali, the first Asian-origin cricketer to captain England in T20Is, has scored five centuries in Tests and three in ODIs, as well as taking 366 wickets across the three formats. He was in the team when England won the 50-overs World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World Cup in 2022.
Ali, who holds the England record for the fastest T20I half-century having hit fifty in 16 balls against South Africa in 2022, said he was proud of his international career.
“When you first play for England, you don’t know how many games you’re going to play. So to play almost 300… I know those were the best days of my life,” Ali said.
Ali said he planned to continue playing franchise cricket and turn to coaching in the future.
“I could hold on and try to play for England again, but I know I won’t,” he added.
“Even when I retire, I don’t feel like I’m not good enough… but I understand how things are and the team needs to evolve into another cycle. It’s about being honest with myself.”
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