He was the wrecker-in-chief with the ball as England clinched a series-equalising win against India in the third Test at the Rose Bowl, but England coach Peter Moores said spinner Moeen Ali was included in the side as a batsman.
“Moeen is in the side as a batter and a very rapidly emerging spin bowler. I think Mo had a bit of a turning point before the Lord’s Test. Testament to some of the feedback that he got — I think Ian Bell was quite important in that — you can get feedback about the pace and lines that are difficult for batsmen to play,” Moores was quoted as saying by the media here.
Test cricket is about how rapidly people grow in it and he’s grown very quickly as a bowler.
Moeen claimed six for 67 in India’s second innings to help England secure a series-levelling 266-run victory at the Ageas Bowl.
“Belly is a fantastic player of spin so he told one of his teammates, ‘Well, actually, I find that really difficult or that pace is quite nice for me.’ That’s what good teams should do, while Bell was batting in the nets, and then Mo decides what to do. You improve because you talk and work with people,” explained the coach.
Moores lauded Ali for adjusting quickly to his bowling role. “His run rate came down and he created some pressure.”
“Test cricket is about how rapidly people grow in it and he’s grown very quickly as a bowler. Hopefully, that carries on. He’s a very sensible lad, he knows he’s got to keep doing a lot of work,” he said.
“He does two things that are essential for a top-flight spinner — he attacks both edges. He gets great drift and then turns the ball. So he spins the ball hard. Without those two things, it is very difficult.”
“If you only attack one edge of the bat, people can work you out quite fast. But because Mo creates drift, that I think is a challenge for all batters. He can nick people off,” Moores added.
I think he was conscious that it happened straightaway and realised it was a mistake that he had it on.
Moeen also hit the headlines for wearing wristbands proclaiming ‘Save Gaza’ and ‘Free Palestine’ during the match.
“Moeen is a very level-headed bloke and that is one of his real strengths. He stays calm under pressure. So he took it for what it was and moved on. Mo has his own personality. I love people who have their own brain and style. Mo has that. You have only to watch him play and how he goes about his business. When he talks to people here, he knows what he stands for and what he is about. That’s a great thing for him to have and it will stand him in good stead,” he added.
