Moeen Ali infuriated by becoming England's scapegoat and could extend Test exile

The allrounder has opted to take a break from red-ball cricket which could last beyond the Sri Lanka series in March

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England allrounder Moeen Ali insists he has been made a scapegoat for the Test team's recent failures and is not ready to make a return to red-ball cricket.

The 32-year-old has not played for his country since being dropped after the first Ashes Test in August, after opting to take a break from the longest format.

Such a decision led to him being overlooked for a red-ball central contract for the 2019-20 cycle. He instead chose to play franchise cricket in South Africa's Mzansi Super League and T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

Jack Leach's illness and England's lack of genuine spin options means Moeen will likely be tempted into returning for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka in March.

But the Worcestershire man appears unwilling to consider ending his self-imposed red ball exile.

"A lot of the time if we lose I feel I am one of the first guys to get the blame for it," he told the BBC’s Cricket Social.

"Yes there have been days when I have not had a good game but I feel sometimes it is easy to point the finger at me. 

"It did get to me and that was one of the reasons why I needed to step back from Test cricket.

"I felt like I was drained from it all. I do think that I have got to become a stronger person for that as well. It is difficult but I will be fine.

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"A lot of people could see I probably needed a break. It’s easy to just carry on, keep going and almost dig a deeper hole at times. 

"But I just want to step back from it. I started reading about my faith a bit more. And taking interest in other things rather than focusing on cricket 24-7. It’s been good. I’ve enjoyed it."

Moeen will make his England return in the one-day international and T20 matches against South Africa next month.

Thereafter he has a contract to play for Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League which runs between February 22 and March 22.

"I’m not sure yet [about Sri Lanka]," he added.

"I’m going to go to South Africa now for the one-day stuff and decide probably there. Speak to a few people. I’ll definitely come back when I feel ready.

"England – the ECB – have been amazing in terms of support and they fully understand where I’m coming from. Being in all forms of the game is not the easiest thing at the moment as we play so much cricket. 

"There’s no time-frame. When I’m ready I’ll come back for sure. But I know I’ve got to fight for my spot and earn my spot again. Which I’m looking forward to."