Moeen Ali's inclusion could plug a few holes for England
Back in September 2018 at Southampton, Moeen Ali and Ravichandran Ashwin were expected to spearhead their respective bowling attacks. The pitch at the Ageas Bowl had shown considerable signs of deterioration and seemed a surface that would massively aid the spinners.
As the game entered its final stretch, both Ashwin and Moeen had chances to stamp their authority on the contest. In contrast to common notions, though, it was the Englishman who spun his side to victory – a performance, which coupled with his handy batting contribution in the first innings, cast Moeen as one of the premier all-rounders in English cricket.
But that display, which was meant to be the defining moment of Moeen’s career, hasn’t had the desired effect. The all-rounder has played a grand total of 10 Tests since, with only three of them coming at home. Quite often Moeen has been used by England as their primary spinner and with him not living up to those expectations, he has been cast aside.
Similarly, prior to the ongoing Test series against India, there were murmurs that Moeen deserved a place in the squad, at the very least. England, though, decided to allow him to embrace The Hundred – a competition that, rather refreshingly, he has set on fire over the past couple of weeks.
Thus, almost immediately, it seems that England might find it hard to resist the temptation to bring Moeen back into the fold. Not just because he seems in excellent form, albeit in a different format, but also because he could be the answer to a few of their current quandaries.
Prior to the game at Trent Bridge, there seemed a consensus that England would include Jack Leach in their side, considering the success he has enjoyed in home conditions. However, they chose against it as they opted for an extra batter – something that explains their lack of trust in their top and middle order.
That, though, meant that England only fielded four specialist bowlers, with Sam Curran being the all-rounder. James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad bore the brunt of the bowling burden and though Anderson and Robinson fared relatively well, each looked jaded by the time India’s first innings culminated.
To that end, the English bowlers may even have been grateful that the final day was washed out and that they could rest their bodies with the next Test starting at Lord’s from 12th August. It also illustrated that England, especially against a side like India, might want an additional bowling option.
If the pecking order were to be the sole parameter, Leach would probably get into the side ahead of Moeen. Not only has the left-arm spinner been impressive whenever given the nod, he also troubled the Indian batters on England’s winter tour to India.
Leach, though, apart from an outstanding 92 against Ireland (incidentally his highest First-Class score) and an equally enterprising 1* against Australia, doesn’t quite have the batting pedigree England crave.
In blunter terms, England are so worried about their batting unit that they want bowlers who can wield the willow. And, that is perhaps where Moeen enters the fray.
Over the years, Moeen hasn’t quite had the desired impact with the bat. For a batter as talented as Moeen, he only averages 28.88 across 106 innings. But when he does get it right, he has produced telling performances, having racked up five centuries and 14 fifties.
Moreover, he has a pretty decent record at home throughout his career – an average of 35.02 as opposed to an overall average of 28.88. Though Moeen’s batting numbers dip against India when playing in England, he certainly has the requisite quality to rattle their cage.
As things stand, none of Dan Lawrence, Dom Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, Rory Burns and Zak Crawley have covered themselves in any glory in 2021, meaning that it would be very tough for Moeen to perform worse than any of the aforementioned.
Apart from that, through England’s second innings at Trent Bridge, there seemed to be a concerted effort to bat with more intensity and tempo. Joe Root embodied that approach to the tee, with Bairstow, Buttler and Lawrence also doing so during their brief vigils.
Thus, a case could be made that this is England’s best modus operandi moving forward against India. Not just because it upsets the bowlers’ rhythm, but also because most English batters aren’t particularly blessed with water-tight techniques.
From that perspective, Moeen could be a novel counter-attacking alternative in the middle order. He could help in transferring pressure onto the bowlers and could create the buffer of runs that would guard England against their seemingly inevitable collapse.
England also have the small matter of recreating the runs and the wickets that would’ve been provided by Ben Stokes had he been available. However, with Stokes’ unique skill-set rivalled only by Ravindra Jadeja (across the globe), England might have to depend on the pair of Curran and Moeen to partly replicate Stokes’ magic.
The biggest positive of including Moeen though, is that he has been brilliant with the ball against India in English conditions. Prima facie, it might seem paradoxical, considering his bowling was exposed in a friendlier environment earlier in 2021.
However, with Moeen being someone who doesn’t like to be burdened too much by expectations, one can probably decipher why Moeen has been exceptional when not being labeled as England’s primary wicket-taking option – something that was the case in the winter months.
Furthermore, Moeen wasn’t as catastrophic in India as has been assumed by many. He accounted for 8 batters in the only Test he played and while his economy rate was a touch higher than what would’ve been ideal, he still bowled wicket-taking deliveries – a trait that could be useful in the home summer as well.
Not only would these wickets add more value, Moeen would not be bowling with attacking fields, meaning that his tendency to bowl the odd loose ball won’t be punished as much.
Moeen Ali has excellent numbers against India in England
As far as numbers are concerned, well, they are pretty inspiring. In 12 innings against India at home, Moeen averages a tick over 22 and has scalped 31 wickets, roughly equating to more than 2.5 wickets per innings. His strike rate, meanwhile, which hovers around the 38.6 mark, is even more impressive and proves that he has been a genuine partnership-breaker in the past.
Apart from that, Moeen has a decent record against most of India’s top and middle order. While he has dismissed Ajinkya Rahane 7 times (4 times at home), he has gotten the better of Virat Kohli on 5 occasions (twice at home).
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Moeen also has the wood over Ravindra Jadeja – someone who proved to be the thorn in England’s flesh at Trent Bridge, having dismissed his CSK compatriot 4 times (thrice in England). Pujara, meanwhile, averages 9.5 against Moeen in England and has gotten out to him on two occasions.
Hence, there is enough to suggest that Moeen enjoys bowling against India in his own backyard. In fact, 31 of the spinner’s 98 wickets at home have been against India, highlighting that the Indians don’t particularly fancy facing Moeen.
Additionally, with the next game slated to take place at Lord’s, Moeen could exploit the slope to his advantage. On a few instances, the Indians have made the mistake of playing inside the line against Moeen and with the slope helping his endeavors, he could bring the slip cordon into play and be a more effective bowling option than Root.
Thus, there is plenty of evidence to hint that Moeen could indeed solve a few problems for England. Though he has been away playing The Hundred – a format vastly different to what he might have to confront at Lord’s, white-ball runs have unwittingly become the best route into England’s Test team lately.
At The Hundred, Moeen has been stroking the ball beautifully and has even propelled the Birmingham Phoenix to the top of the table, meaning that form, unlike in Messrs. Burns, Crawley, Lawrence and Sibley’s case, might not be as much of an issue.
Maybe then, Moeen’s inclusion could plug a few significant holes for England. If that is enough remains to be seen but it is certainly another opportunity for the all-rounder to show that he deserves a consistent run in the side, much like he was touted to after his virtuoso display in Southampton in 2018.
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