• All-rounder says he was an easy target after poor results• ‘If we lose I feel I am one of the first guys to get the blame’
![I was made a scapegoat for England’s Test defeats, says Moeen Ali](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5c27396758ffa788f3a4c89be40e8dda81ac8c29/282_515_2936_1762/master/2936.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=fb3fc00a8e0ae54cfab5df2d57adb2fa)
Moeen Ali has claimed he was made a scapegoat for England’s Test failings when he was in the side and that is why he took a break from the long form of the game and is not ready yet to make his return.
The all-rounder stepped away from red-ball cricket following England’s decision not to renew his central contract last September and has since taken on various white-ball commitments around the world. That includes signing a contract to play in the
Pakistan Super League, a tournament that overlaps with England’s two-Test series in Sri Lanka in March.