IPL 2021: Kevin Pieterson doesn't think Moeen Ali can be a regular starter for England in T20Is
Kevin Pietersen believes Moeen Ali can't be a regular starter for England in T20Is. The all-rounder has had an impactful stint with the Chennai Super Kings so far in IPL 2021 and there have been talks that England have underused him in the shortest format of the game.
But former batsman Pietersen thinks Moeen Ali will not make it to England's T20I XI if everyone is fit.
"I don’t think he can be a regular starter, but he’s definitely somebody who can step in where there is illness, injury or somebody needs a rest. He just happens to be playing in a fantastic era of English batsmen. Look at the great Australian side around 20 years ago when guys like Mike Hussey and Damien Martyn were struggling to get in," Pietersen wrote in a column for Betway.
The 40-year-old was, however, quick to add that Ali is a wonderful three-dimensional player.
"But he's a wonderful player. He’s three-dimensional, which I really like, and he’s proving how good a player he is at the moment," Pietersen added.
CSK have utilized Moeen Ali as a no.3 batsman in IPL 2020 thus far. The all-rounder has scored 133 runs in four games at a strike rate of 152.87.
On the bowling front, Ali has picked up four wickets in as many games at an economy of 6.33. It is fair to say that the Englishman has justified his steep price tag of ₹7 crore so far.
Moeen Ali's CSK to face table-toppers RCB next
CSK are currently second in the points table, with Royal Challengers Bangalore sitting pretty at the top. The two teams will lock horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Moeen Ali, who was part of the RCB squad in IPL 2020, was released ahead of the mini-auction earlier this year. The 33-year-old will be keen to deliver against his former employers when RCB and CSK collide in a top-of-the-table clash at the weekend.
CSK lead the head-to-head record against the Bangalore-based franchise at 16-9. However, RCB are currently the only unbeaten side in IPL 2021.