Moeen Ali credits fresh start and county cricket for sparkling return to form during fourth Test against India
Moeen followed his 40 with the bat on day one with figures of 5-63 with the ball on day two as England stormed back to finish just 21 runs behind at stumps
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Your support makes all the difference.Moeen Ali credited a fresh start and the cleansing palate of county cricket for his sparkling return to form during the fourth Test against India. Moeen followed his 40 with the bat on day one with figures of 5-63 with the ball on day two as England stormed back to finish just 21 runs behind at stumps. And for Moeen, who was dropped for the first time in Test cricket after a nightmarish Ashes tour, said that he never doubted his ability to bounce back.
“It’s about believing that you’re not a bad player after one bad winter,” he said at the close of play. “Many players have gone through that, and for me it was just about moving on and making yourself a better player, a stronger character.
“You’ve just got to put things into perspective. Australia’s always a difficult place for foreign spinners, no matter who they are. Mentally, I moved on pretty early. Yeah, it was a bad winter, but these things can happen to anybody. I went back to Worcester and cleared my mind.”
Moeen has been granted the luxury of being recalled while in scintillating form for Worcestershire, scoring 219 and taking 6-49 in their most recent Championship game against Yorkshire, and hitting 115 in Twenty20 cricket a couple of weeks ago. Now he has picked up where he left off against India at this ground four years ago, when he took 6-67 in his first season of Test cricket.
“The last time I was here just gave me a bit of confidence,” he said. “Bowling at the same end brings back those memories, and it’s always in the back of your mind. The spin was nice, and after my first over I felt like I was going to be in the game. My role in the side now is my best role, batting mainly, and coming on as a second spinner. It just gives me a lot more confidence.”
Now the focus returns to England’s faltering batsmen, who have the opportunity to play India out of the Test and the series if they bat all day on Saturday. The pitch is already turning appreciably, and India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar admitted a tough fourth-innings chase was in prospect. “It’s going to be a challenging surface,” he said. “The ball has swung around, but the wicket is getting on the slower side. So there’s time for the batsmen to adjust.”
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